Obama's Pledge to Reform Ethics Faces an Early Test  —  WASHINGTON — During almost two years on the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to slay the demons of Washington, bar lobbyists from his administration and usher in what he would later call in his Inaugural Address a “new era of responsibility.”

Daschle pushed Hindery for Obama job  —  Tom Daschle backed the patron who paid him a million-dollar salary and supplied him with a free car and driver for a job inside the Obama administration, two Democrats said Monday.  —  Leo Hindery, whose InterMedia Partners employed the former Senate majority leader …

OBAMA CAN'T AFFORD HYPOCRISY  —  It's more than a little disappointing that, just two weeks into President Obama's “new era of responsibility,” a second major cabinet appointee turns out to have underpaid his taxes by tens of thousands of dollars.  Maybe a better word for it is “cheated.”

Sen. DeMint Calls on Obama to Withdraw Daschle Nomination  —  South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint tells FOX News that Tom Daschle's tax problems disqualify him for the position of health and human services secretary.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Republican Sen. Jim DeMint on Tuesday called …

ANOTHER TAX PROBLEM FOR OBAMA?  —  From NBC's Lisa Myers, Chuck Todd, Savannah Guthrie, and Ken Strickland  —  NBC News has learned that the president's choice for “chief performance officer” — technically a deputy OMB director post — could end up having to withdraw over a number of issues, including tax problems.

Joe the Economist.»  —  The ubiquitous Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber” and “Joe the War Correspondent,” will soon add a new moniker to his profile — “Joe the Economist.”  Politico reports that House GOP congressional aides decided to invite Wurzelbacher to a meeting …