More Hypocrisy at the L (for liberal) A Times

Defeated Senator and tax cheat Tom Daschle caused quite a problem LA Times editorialists yesterday— the paper had to acknowledge that the Beltway hanger-on and health care lobbyist was an embarrassment to the new administration (that pledged not to hire lobbyists), and another example of Obama’s broken picker:

…we welcome Daschle’s decision to withdraw. Many in Washington’s political class have shown a disturbing indifference toward conflicts of interest. Obama seemed to recognize this when he announced, on his first full day in office, a strict ethics code that took aim at the capital’s revolving door. Obama, who acknowledged Tuesday that he’d “screwed up” by backing Daschle, was right to insist on tougher standards, wrong to nominate a Cabinet officer whose conduct undermined them.

The Times’ real dilemma was how to balance (not a well understood policy up there) why they didn’t ALSO call for the departure of the other Cabinet tax cheat.  From the very same editorial:

When the first reports about Geithner’s tax problems emerged, we said we’d give him the benefit of the doubt in the hope that he’d lead the fight for a simpler tax code.  Our confidence in him subsequently was strained when he admitted that his employer had reminded him repeatedly to pay those taxes.  Nevertheless, with the economy in a nose dive and the banking industry teetering, Geithner’s previous experience at the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York outweighed his tax problems.

The Times’ double standard in this is appalling.  But, what’s a liberal newspaper to do?  Concoct a lame justification, of course, and try to explain to your diminishing readership that what’s good for the goose, isn’t good for the Geithner.