More advice for Mr. Obama

Dear Mr. Obama,

Two of your top cabinet appointees are out because they didn’t pay their taxes.

A third — one of the men involved in reviving the economy — also fudged his IRS donation. But he’s still in.

Ick.

According to the New York Times, your press aid is telling the White House press corps that you remain “confident in the administration’s process for vetting candidates.”

Then your PR people sent you off to a school classroom for a shiny photo op.

Right. That’s what we call bubble-speak followed by a head-fake.

All politicians do it. It’s the kind of thing people say and do when everybody knows there’s been a monumental screw-up.

Say something bland and meaningless, then change the subject.

But in theory you’re not a normal politician. And you’ve promised not to snow us like that. Not now when Rome is burning.

So here’s what you do. Come down to the press room tomorrow. Tell people that your team screwed up the vetting process, it stinks, and your people will do better finding the right team or they’ll lose their jobs.

Explain how angry you are at Tom Daschle, at Mr. Geithner, and at Ms. Killefer. They displayed some real stupidity here and all three have let the country down.

And then — and here’s the Leadership Moment — announce that all three have been asked to resubmit their resumes.

If they’re the ones you need to run your Administration, cop to the fact that they screwed up (as Dick Cheney would say) big time. And then get them confirmed and on the job.

Otherwise, it’s just more Washington Melodrama, more Business as Usual.