Taking responsibility

Last week, at various points, Barack Obama and Tim Geithner said they "took full responsibility" for the blow-up regarding AIG.  I've heard this a lot now, it seems, and I've come to realize that it means nothing.  I'm sure a lot of people do what I did, which is hear those words and go, "well, that's all right, then, at least they're admitting they screwed up".  But finally I realized, no, they're doing nothing of the sort.  If they are admitting they screwed up, then to put force behind their admission, they must act.  But neither has done anything.  Obama's the worst.  He comes out firing, expressing outrage about the bonuses, but then when Congress actually puts together a tax bill to eliminate bonuses and he starts hearing from the very people who are needed to bail the country out, he starts backpedaling.  Taking full responsibility would mean either helping write and then signing the bill or defending the bonuses.  But, like all politicians, he's trying to have it both ways.  So much for change.  

Saying you take full responsibility without taking positive action to reverse the implied error is meaningless.