Turning Into A Distinct Pattern

For a political party and a President that promised "Change you can believe in" there sure has been an awful lot of news stories about politically corrupt Democrats here in the last month. Granted, most of the stuff they've done is just plain stupid (and nothing in comparison to the rank illegality of Bush/Cheney mind you) but there's a pattern here, and after ten days of the Obama administration I'm already sick and tired of it.

The ongoing "pay-to-play" investigation into Bill Richardson and Blago's impeachment are the most serious. But there's still plenty of ethical questions involving Hillary Clinton's relationship to international donors to her husband's foundation, the increasingly bizarre Caroline Kennedy/David Paterson/Kirsten Gillibrand imbroglio, and the fact that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner can't do his own taxes correctly.

And now another major problem rears its ugly head: HHS nominee Tom Daschle has his own tax problems.

After being defeated in his 2004 re-election campaign to the Senate, Daschle in 2005 became a consultant and chairman of the executive advisory board at InterMedia Advisors.

Based in New York City, InterMedia Advisors is a private equity firm founded in part by longtime Daschle friend and Democratic fundraiser Leo Hindery, the former president of the YES network (the New York Yankees' and New Jersey Devils' cable television channel).

That same year he began his professional relationship with InterMedia, Daschle began using the services of Hindery's car and driver.

The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle's official compensation package at InterMedia, but Mr. Daschle -- who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense -- didn't declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.

During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected the tax violation, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.

(Daschle reimbursed the IRS $31,462 in taxes and interest for tax year 2005; $35,546 for 2006; and $34,935 for 2007, a Daschle spokesperson said, adding that Daschle had asked his accountant to look into the tax implications of the car and driver five months before Obama won the presidency.)

The Daschle spokesperson told ABC News that the senator, facing questions from the committee, has said "he deeply regretted his mistake. When he realized it was a mistake he corrected it rapidly."

Now we see why Geithner was confirmed. Daschle had the same problem.

Is it too much to ask for the Obama guys to find people who aren't doing stupid crap like this and putting them in critical positions? Our economy is all but done, our health care system is on life support, and we've got Obama putting in tax cheats to run his damn programs?

Is it truly that hard to find decent Democrats that don't have records that make them look like Bush-era nepotists and cronies? Is it truly that hard to find decent Democrats that don't have records that make them look like Bush-era nepotists and cronies? Honestly? We've had eight years of this shit and I'm altogether sick and tired of the same excuses, the same backslapping, the same bullshit from the last eight years.

No, I don't want the Republicans back in power. Yes, I do want competent and decent Democrats in the Cabinet because I know they exist, and Obama has managed to find a lot of them to his credit. But aren't we in enough trouble here as it is, Mr. President? Don't we need a clean slate here at a time where crap like this has gotten this country to the brink of economic disaster?

Maybe I'm holding Obama to a higher standard. But frankly after Bush/Cheney nearly destroyed this country, we all should be holding our entire government to a higher standard. Period.

OK, rant over. Resume Obama administration.