Obama 'screwed up' over nominees

The developments threatened to blunt the new leader's effort to take his economic message to the American people through a series of interviews with every national television network on Tuesday.

Mr Obama is trying to move a more than 800 billion-dollar economic stimulus programme through Congress, but has so far been unable to gain the bipartisan support he had hoped would define his presidency.

The television appearances were seen as a bid to speak more directly to US voters who are feeling the pain of the worst US economic decline in 80 years. But Tuesday's political developments served as a major distraction.

Former Senator Tom Daschle pulled out as Mr Obama's choice as Health and Human Services Secretary, citing a growing chorus of criticism over his failure to fully pay taxes from 2005 through 2007. He has since paid more than 140,000 dollars including interest.

Mr Obama, normally the picture of calm and confidence, apologised in a series of TV interviews following Mr Daschle's withdrawal. "I screwed up," he declared.

"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," he 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," he told NBC's Nightly News With Brian Williams. He repeated virtually the same words in several other interviews.

Mr Daschle's departure was a deep blow to the White House because it not only cost Mr Obama his services as a Cabinet secretary, but removed him from the second important role he was to play in shepherding the administration's hopes of overhauling the nation's healthcare system - one of Mr Obama's top campaign pledges.

News of the former Senate majority leader's withdrawal broke just hours after Nancy Killefer dropped her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government, saying she did not want her failure to submit payroll taxes for household help to be a distraction for the president. She had faced but subsequently settled a Washington city government tax payment of 946.69 dollars on her home.