President Barack Obama had an embarrassing situation with his nominee for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who neglected to pay $34,000 in taxes. Obama overcame that hurdle, and Geithner was confirmed. Now the President is experiencing a similar problem with his choice for Secretary of Health & Human Services, Tom Daschle. The only difference is that Daschle is far more in arrears in his back taxes.

In the meantime, the Republicans are increasing their resistance to President Barack Obama’s stimulus spending bill. Not a single GOP member of the House of Representatives voted for the Obama stimulus plan, and now the bill is being reviewed in the Senate. Many Republican senators are already on record as opposing Obama’s economic recovery plan. Here, too, a taxing issue exists, but of a different sort. The Republicans want more of the stimulus bill devoted to tax cuts and less to spending.

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, is now in his second week on the job. Already the he honeymoon with the Republicans has worn off, as they and President Obama battle over the final form of the economic stimulus package.