Bloodthirsty Liberal

President Barack Obama learns the value of having liberals with you in the foxhole; which is to say, none:

The New York Times has called for Tom Daschle to withdraw, and for Obama to find another, “less-blemished” Secretary of HHS, and not just regarding taxes (via The Corner):

When President Obama nominated former Senator Tom Daschle to be his secretary of health and human services, it seemed to be a good choice. Mr. Daschle, as the co-author of a book on health care reform, knew a lot about one of the president’s signature issues. As a former Senate majority leader, he also knew a lot about guiding controversial bills through Congress, where he remains liked and respected by former colleagues.

Unfortunately, new facts have come to light — involving his failure to pay substantial taxes that were owed and his sizable income from health-related companies while he worked in the private sector — that call into question his suitability for the job. We believe that Mr. Daschle ought to step aside and let the president choose a less-blemished successor.

Since when is suitability for the job an issue for the New York Times? President Obama isn’t suitable for the job, but he has it, and the Times couldn’t be happier about that. And if writing a book qualifies as experience for the Times, then Obama wrote two. What does that mean?

As Daschle goes, ought not Geithner to go, too? And Rangel and Franken? The Times is silent.

I’m not yet absolutely convinced he’ll out-suck Jimmy Carter or James Buchanan—but you’ve got to be fast on the Net or you’ll never get anywhere.

Besides, given the daily revelations, Vegas has him as a 3-1 favorite to best Warren Harding. Only in America can a black man play on a nation’s guilt to get into that nation’s highest office, and then screw that nation with the wide end of a paddle.

Thomas A. Daschle waited nearly a month after being nominated to be secretary of health and human services before informing Barack Obama that he had not paid years of back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a wealthy New York investor.

Daschle, one of Obama’s earliest and most ardent campaign supporters, paid $140,000 to the U.S. Treasury on Jan. 2 and about two days later informed the White House and the Senate Finance Committee, according to an account provided by his spokeswoman and confirmed by the Obama administration.

Although Daschle had known since June 2008 that he needed to correct his tax returns, he never expected the amount to be such a “jaw-dropping” sum and “thought it was being taken care of” by his accountant, spokeswoman Jenny Backus said.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said last night that Obama stands behind his friend and confidant. “The president believes nobody’s perfect but that nobody’s hiding anything,” Gibbs said.

Just to prove the point, look how imperfect Daschle is:

The report indicates that Daschle’s failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn’t report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

The Senate Finance Committee Report also notes that during the vetting process, President Obama’s Transition Team “identified certain donations that did not qualify as charitable deductions because they were not paid to qualifying organizations.

No, Senator, you cannot deduct losses at the dog track.

But in the land of the corrupt and inept, the tax cheat is king, or however it goes:

Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, the senior member of the finance committee, released a statement Saturday saying, “Months ago, Tom personally and proactively addressed the taxes issue and took all necessary steps to correct his innocent error.”

…

Another committee member, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said Saturday that Daschle had “identified and self-disclosed his oversight.”

Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts also released statements supporting Daschle.

“Innocent error.” Now, where have I heard something like that before?

You got no worries, Daschle. You’re in like Flint.

Or Geithner.