Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Obama: 'I screwed up' — Daschle nomination gone Quote: "It's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules — you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said in one of a series of interviews with TV anchors. "I'm frustrated with myself, with our team. ... I'm here on television saying I screwed up," Obama said on NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams." He repeated virtually the same words in several other interviews. I am not so sure it is a good thing for the President to go around repeatedly saying that he screwed up. That isn't going to inspire a lot of confidence in him and may well open himself up to future attacks. I think he should reserve such comments for his memoirs. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I would not have minded it Shane ... if he hadn't repeated the same mantra so many times during one interview. It was a little scripted and obviously repetitive. Like was he deserving of some credit or something? Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 Well, given the most recent president who, after 6 years of utter disaster on all fronts couldn't think of a single thing he'd done wrong, I think I'd prefer someone who knows how to acknowledge a mistake was made, fix it and move on. Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I would beg to differ with the characterization of utter disaster. Some feel he did a magnificent job ... just as he thinks. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 Aye, the country is in tiptop shape all right. Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Okay ... you can't blame the world-wide depression on him. Come on. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 Remind me where the buck stops? Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 America is not responsible for the entire world. They have their own 'bucks' to stop. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 President Bush didn't admit mistakes because he knew it is not a wise thing for a sitting President to go around admitting mistakes. Just look at what Obama's critics are going to do with this. Obama hasn't been in office a month and by his own admission he is already "screwing" things up. Now that he has admitted that he "screwed" up with the Dashle nomination is the public more likely or less likely to support him on other issues like his stimulus package? I think it is far better for Obama to be tight-lipped and admit his mistakes after he leaves office. I think this little episode is revealing of his lack of executive experience. Executives don't go around saying the screwed up only two weeks into the job. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 I disagree, but I think that's probably one of the bottom line differences in our world views. Look at the frequency of apologies on this forum from lefties versus righties and you'll see that there's a basic difference of approach there. Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I disagree, but I think that's probably one of the bottom line differences in our world views. Look at the frequency of apologies on this forum from lefties versus righties and you'll see that there's a basic difference of approach there. I do see your point about apologizes. I apologize whenever I am wrong. But like Bush ... I just ain't wrong that much. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Aye, the country is in tiptop shape all right. I think those trying to blame Bush for the current economic crises are being more than a bit disingenuous. That would be a overly simplistic explanation for the current crisis. The truth is this: Washington has been playing games with the free market for too many years and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Washington has artificially stimulated the economy on many occasions and all bubbles must burst. The cause is politics as usual. Both parties are equally guilty. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 I apologize all the time when I am wrong. I was just apologizing today for not getting some pavement fixed that is still under warranty. However comparing us on this forum to executives is apples and oranges. When an executive admits a mistake it opens his or her entire organization up to further criticism and sometimes law suits. This situation really looks like a young, inexperienced President shooting off his mouth without thinking it through. Tom Dashle was majority leader of the Senate for goodness sake. How was nominating him to a cabinet position screwing things up? Moreover it was Obama's team, not the IRS, that discovered the tax issue. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 Not blaming him for all of it, by any means - it's at least 25 and more like 40 years in the making. But he didn't fix it, either. He let it get worse and it came to a head on his watch. He has to take *some* (not all) of the blame... or presidential responsibility for the country is meaningless. Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Bush is guilty for playing the game like everyone else has played it. That is true. Do any of us think he ever had enough influence to change the way Washington does business? What Obama is proposing is to artificially stimulate the economy again. Which is playing the same game others have played. However he is claiming that all the money he is going to pour into the economy to stimulate it he will siphon out after it has recovered. That is yet to be seen AND he will need to get the Federal Reserve to go along with him on that. However that at least sounds different from previous politics. Instead of blowing up a bubble and letting it burst, he plans to blow up a bubble and then slowly let the air out. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I think alot of people are going to find Obamas plain speak, open and refreshing. As apposed to political bibble babble. Remember his is all about bringing change to the White House. Be prepared for lots of change. Including shirt sleeves. Quote <p><span style="color:#0000FF;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">"Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you."</span></span> Eph 4:29</span><br><br><img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/gizmotimetemp_both/US/OR/Fairview.gif" alt="Fairview.gif"> Fairview Or</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pockey Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I think he needs to be careful about saying "I screwed up" too much. It's only been a few weeks in office and he's already saying "I screwed up". Someone is going to save all these video clips and edit them together for one long montage on youtube with Obama saying "I screwed up". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Most Presidents save their admission of errors until they write the memoirs. There is a very good reason for that. This is the guy that has his finger on the nuke button. We don't want someone that is always screwing up while in office. He is taking a real beating by the press today for these remarks. My guess is that he regrets saying them and we won't be hearing any more admissions by him of screwing up. He is still wet behind the ears and getting some on the job training. He has never had executive experience before and this is evidence of that. Let's hope his learning curve is sharp and short so we don't see future mess ups like this. Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fccool Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I am not so sure it is a good thing for the President to go around repeatedly saying that he screwed up. That isn't going to inspire a lot of confidence in him and may well open himself up to future attacks. I think he should reserve such comments for his memoirs. You are absolutely right, Shane. I think that Obama should take on Bush's attitude... of being disappointed in outcomes instead of admitting mistakes. You see, when you are disappointed... it's other's fault... not yours. So, Obama should take the tone of disapointment and avoid taking responsibility by admitting mistakes... because being president is more important than being a decent human being. I think all of us should adopt such attitude and reserve the "I was wrong speech" for the memoirs titled "Why my wife divorced me". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 Executives are not "all of us". Do we want a President that acts like "all of us"? President Obama is not going to command the respect of the world by going around admitting how bad he as screwed things up. He makes himself look like a clown and turns the presidency into a mockery. Two weeks into the job and he is screwing it up. How are the next four years going to go? And who is going to get universal health care passed now? Tom Dashle had a lot of influence on Capital Hill to make that happen. Remind me again why it was such a big screw up to appoint the former majority leader of the Senate to his cabinet? Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I think this is an all time record for screw ups this far into a presidency. Quote May we be one so that the world may be won. Christian from the cradle to the grave I believe in Hematology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fccool Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Executives are not "all of us". Do we want a President that acts like "all of us"? President Obama is not going to command the respect of the world by going around admitting how bad he as screwed things up. He makes himself look like a clown and turns the presidency into a mockery. Two weeks into the job and he is screwing it up. How are the next four years going to go? And who is going to get universal health care passed now? Tom Dashle had a lot of influence on Capital Hill to make that happen. Remind me again why it was such a big screw up to appoint the former majority leader of the Senate to his cabinet? Shane, please read over what you are saying... basically you are saying that president is to appear infallible for him to be effective. How is it admitting making a mistake makes clown out of someone? That's where most of our problems are... unwillingness to recognize the problems. Bush was denying that economy was in bad shape all the way through 2007. We don't need confidence that lacks integrity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Bravus Posted February 4, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 4, 2009 Yes. When everyone *knows* someone made a mistake - and appointing someone who has done something illegal to a senior government post is a mistake - then I would say one looks more like a clown by just brazening it out and pretending nothing happened than by honestly recognising the problem - which is no secret anyway - and fixing it. Quote Truth is important Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Tom Wetmore Posted February 4, 2009 Administrators Share Posted February 4, 2009 The whole premise of this discussion is patently and absurdly silly. To criticize a leader for owning up to mistakes made on his watch is asking for a leadership style of blaming others for obvious errors, covering up mistakes and denial of the painfully obvious mistakes. More time and energy and resources are wasted in denial, covering up and blaming others than it would take to correct a problem. And we had quite enough of that for the past 8 years, thank-you very much. Every competent leader and executive knows that the first step in fixing something is to identify whats wrong, what or who is responsible and then take the necessary corrective actions. It is most difficult to fix something that nobody recognizes as broken and if you don't know what or who caused the mess, you are bound to see it happen again. From the simple concept of "Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten" these are the 5 rules of leadership and playing well with others: 1. Clean up your own mess. 2. Share with others. 3. Honesty is the best policy. 4. Say you're sorry when you hurt someone. 5. Don't hit back. I personally find the transparency and genuine honesty and forthrightness a very refreshing change. Tom Quote "Absurdity reigns and confusion makes it look good." "Sinless perfection is such a shallow goal." "I love God only as much as the person I love the least." *Forgiveness is always good news. And that is the gospel truth. (And finally, the ideas expressed above are solely my person views and not that of any organization with which I am associated.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Shane Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 How is it admitting making a mistake makes clown out of someone? Context. Young, inexperienced president two weeks into the job "I screwed up" Where is the bozo nose? Quote Pastoral Family Counselor... Find me at www.PostumCafe.com Author of Peculiar Christianity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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