Obama admits to ‘screw-up’

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama sought to recover yesterday from his toughest day in office yet after admitting he ‘screwed up’ in a storm over taxes that forced his pick to lead health reform to withdraw.

Obama’s carefully staged push for support of his massive economic stimulus plan was overshadowed as both health czar nominee Tom Daschle and another nominee Nancy Killefer – tapped to be government budget watchdog – withdrew because of tax issues.In a flurry of television interviews Obama had hoped to pile pressure on lawmakers debating the near 900-billion-dollar package in the Senate, but was forced to face down the ethics questions instead.’I don’t want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards, one for powerful people, and one for ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes,’ Obama said in an interview with CNN.’I think this was a mistake. I think I screwed up.’ Earlier, Obama said he accepted the decision by Daschle, one of his earliest supporters, with regret after the former Senate majority leader decided he could not escape a row over his payment of 128 000 dollars in back taxes plus some 12 000 dollars in interest.The White House denied that it had any role in the decision, or that he was pushed to decline the post of secretary of health and human services and White House health czar.Daschle’s demise came hours after Obama’s nominee for White House budget chief Killefer withdrew her nomination, reportedly over her failure to pay past unemployment taxes for household help. – Nampa-AFP