Although President Obama has been on the job for only a few weeks, he has already made two conspicuous errors. The first mistake is that his vetting process failed to screen cabinet appointees who didn’t pay their taxes.

Yes, Senator Tom Daschle would make a great cabinet member. However, his failure to pay his taxes should have kept him from even being considered for an important position within the Obama team.

Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner was approved by the Senate. Nevertheless, he too has failed to pay taxes he owed to the government. Obama and his people were just too flippant when it came to a higher standard of ethics.

You and I pay our taxes. We don’t necessarily agree with all the programs funded by those tax dollars. But we pay because it is the legal thing to do. If we have to pay our taxes, then so should our leaders - Republican and Democrat. People on the cabinet are supposed to be role models for the rest of us.

The second mistake is that the president did not have Republicans to help draft the stimulus package. Senator John McCain said a few days ago that Mr. Obama left Republicans out when important decisions were made. He is right.

Americans are sick and tired of presidents who do not actively seek the advice of the opposition party. George W. Bush failed as president because he wouldn’t work with Democrats. Unfortunately, Obama is heading in the same direction.

Since the president asked no Republicans to come up with a fair stimulus package, that party naturally felt left out of the entire process. I don’t blame Republicans- my primary criticism is that the Obama team failed to give us a true bipartisan bill.

When Mr. Obama ran for president, he promised us that things would change if he were elected president. He promised the people that, under an Obama administration, Republicans and Democrats would work closely together. Both sides would have an important part to play.

He has failed to meet that goal. The change he promised has so far not come to fruition. His actions need to back up his words. Promising us a bipartisan approach is not enough. We expect him to deliver on those promises.

President Obama thankfully has time on his side. I just want the man to live up to the high calling he expressed in the campaign. Show us what it means to really be a bipartisan president.

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