Daschle Apologizes for Tax Errors

It remains to be seen whether contrition will help.

Tom Daschle apologized Monday to the Senate panel that will decide whether he becomes Health and Human Services secretary, saying he was "deeply embarrassed and disappointed" about his failure to pay more than $120,000 in taxes.

In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, President Barack Obama's pick to oversee the new administration's health initiatives sought to explain how he overlooked taxes on additional income for consulting work, the use of a car service and paperwork to support claims for charitable contributions.

Daschle recently filed amended tax returns to report $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest.

Daschle's five-paragraph letter, described as an "explanation" letter, told the Finance Committee's leadership, "As you can well imagine, I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns. I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them. I will be happy to answer any Committee members' questions about these issues."

He then addressed three specific areas of concern -- charitable deductions, the use of a car service, and a Form 1099 "clerical error" -- before concluding, "We provided all this information to the Committee in addition to the completed Committee questionnaire and my responses to your staff's questions. I disclosed this information to the Committee voluntarily, and paid the taxes and any interest owed promptly. My mistakes were unintentional."

At this point, it's simply unclear what kind of Republican opposition Daschle is likely to face. As far as I can tell, South Carolina's Jim DeMint is the only one who's come close to announcing his opposition. A full-court press this isn't.