Following a series of scandals that forced one of Obama's most important nominees to withdraw, questions have been raised over the new president's central campaign pledge to change corrupt politics.

President Obama quickly responded to any doubts that an ethical dispute may affect what he claimed throughout the campaign run to take the moral high ground.

I think I screwed up....I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again, Obama said in an interview with Katie Couric.

Watch clip of Obama's interview below:

It's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules — you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes, Obama said Tuesday evening, a little more than 24 hours after he had said he was absolutely committed to Daschle's confirmation.

I'm frustrated with myself, with our team. … I'm here on television saying I screwed up, Obama said during an interview with NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams.

He echoed roughly the same words in interviews with anchors on the other TV networks.

Earlier in the day, Tom Daschle, a former Senate majority leader and a close friend of Obama had asked to be removed from consideration as health and human services secretary. This came hours after Nancy Killefer had made the same request because of her past failure to pay unemployment taxes for household help at her D.C. home.