Knowing When to Take the Blame

On Thursday, President Obama stepped up and took responsibility for the security lapses that led to the failed attempt to blow up an airliner Christmas day. He had previously criticized the intelligence agencies responsible for preventing just such attacks. After being careful to point out that he was not to blame - it was the "system" that failed - Obama nevertheless decided to take responsibility. "When the system fails," he stated, "it is my responsibility to take the blame." By taking the blame he showed character and demonstrated his resolve to fix what went wrong. His determination to identify and implement the steps necessary to ensure it never happens again redounds to his credit. It is certain he will get applause for taking the blame.

Today it was reported that the economy was still far from recovering. Over a year into Obama's presidency, the economy is still in a recession. Although there were some encouraging, or at least not depressing statistics, such as a slowdown in the pace of layoffs and the addition of 47,000 new jobs in December, the overall numbers are troubling. The 47,000 new jobs created in December were more than offset by the loss of 85,000 jobs in manufacturing and construction reported by the Department of Labor. The health care industry was one of the few bright spots in the economy. It gained 22,000 jobs. (It is also the industry that is in Obama's cross hairs.) Hourly wages only increased by a meager 2.2% There are many other discouraging statistics.

Despite the best efforts of Obama, the economy is still showing little sign of recovery. The hundreds of billions of dollars spent by Washington at Obama's behest have yet to produce the results anticipated or promised. If Obama's efforts to rescue the economy are not quite a failure, they are certainly not a success. Yet so far, Obama has shown little inclination to take any blame, either for the poor economy or the failure of his policies to resuscitate it.

There are times when taking the blame shows character. There are also times when taking the blame shows failure. Obama clearly knows the difference between the two.