Obama Shows Rare Candor

I listened to President Obama on CNN last night in one of his many interviews for the day and I heard a phrase that was s refreshing I got chills. When asked about his choice of Tom Daschle as Health Czar he remarked, "I screwed up..."

When is the last time you heard a president speak with that kind of candor? For me it was Harry Truman, who I only remember as a vague shadow from my childhood. I do remember people talking about how he was frank and straightforward and had that famous sign on his desk, "The Buck Stops Here".

It is unfortunate that Daschle pulled out, since many feel he was ideal to bridge the gap between the health care industry and Congress but I feel sure another person with suitable credentials will be found. Daschle's tax payments and use of a limousine would have become the issue and I suspect little would get done because of the poltical hay that could be made of that, so I don't see this as a major roadblock, just a bump in the road.

Meanwhile Obama proposed salary caps for executives at companies we bail out at $500,000. Sounds reasonable to me, since the corporate governance of these firms got them into the mess, they should feel a bit of the pinch as well. Some will say these companies will lose their top talent, but in my opinion if those in charge got them into the mess, then losing them wold be a boon not a blow.

This presidency is getting really interesting, and I like that.