Could we please get another "I screwed up" from Obama ...

... for his disastrous un-nomination of General Anthony Zinni? 

Read the cringe-worthy story here. (Via TNR.)

Mickey Kaus says:

There aren't many respected foreign policy machers who were right on the Iraq war (no) and on the surge (yes). This is no way to treat one of them.

Of course, my heading is an allusion to President Obama's admission on Tuesday about Tom Daschle's withdrawn nomination:

I'm here on television saying I screwed up, and that's part of the era of responsibility. It's not never making mistakes; it's owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them, and that's what we intend to do.*

That bluntness is a refreshing change from President Bush, who had barely admitted any mistakes by the end of eight years in office.

But can you imagine having to hear this kind of thing on a regular basis? And what do you think are the odds he's going to make a similar statement about how he mistreated General Zinni?

As everyone knows, one of the most damning labels that was (justly) pinned on the Bush administration was "incompetent." If he really is screwing up as much as he seems to be since he became President, Obama had better ramp up the competence level quickly.


* I've corrected this quote from USA Today's garbled version.