Geithner’s apology works

"These were careless mistakes. They were avoidable mistakes. But they were unintentional."

So began Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner's mea culpa to Senate Finance Committee members who had been grilling him over his failure to report and pay tax on self-employment income.

Let's just let him speak for himself:

It apparently worked. By an 18-to-5 vote, the panel endorsed Geithner's nomination and sent it along to the full Senate where confirmation is expected next week.

See, your mom was right. Own up to your mistakes, make good when you can and try to sound sincere when you say you're sorry.

Nanny tax strikes again: Yet another prospective political appointee has been knocked out of the running by the nanny tax.

This time it's Caroline Kennedy, who had been by some reports the frontrunner to fill new Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat.

Kennedy pulled her name from consideration apparently after some potentially embarrassing household help tax issues came up during the vetting process.

Details, such as they are, can be found in the New York Times and Politico's Glenn Thrush blog.