Fox's Brit Hume may dislike the stimulus package that's been put forth by the White House, but he's bullish on President Barack Obama's willingness to step forward and assume responsibility for the blundering way the nomination of Tom Daschle devolved over the past few days. For my part, I'd prefer that Obama's assumption of responsibility hadn't been fronted with a lengthy "maybe Daschle will skate by" preamble, but I'll allow that Obama's ability to recall talking about ushering in a "new era of responsibility," and his subsequent decision to participate in it, is a good thing.
Everything Hume's saying here makes sense to me. Asked if "I screwed up" were words one often hears from a President, he responded:
HUME: Well, if it is not, then it ought to be. I think it is a good thing to say. I think the American public is forgiving when someone admits an error forthrightly and straightforwardly. People appreciate that. Americans are not an unforgiving people. If you make a mistake and own up to it fairly promptly as President Obama did yesterday, adding -- i think that will prove to the point in his favor.
[WATCH.]
Later in the report, the Fox anchors read aloud an entry to their Facebook page, where one user says that he'd rather not hear a President admit mistakes, and that the appropriate forum for that is a "tell-all" book after the presidency is over. It's truly sad that people in this country have been trained to think that way.