Jim Geraghty caught this one first, and it’s a doozy. Barack Obama worked himself into a lather when he gave a speech this week about his new proposals to close tax loopholes for multinational corporations, accusing them of tax evasion through manipulation of the tax code … or what we used to call “following the rules.” Obama called for extensive support for the people working on his behalf to make corporations pay their fair share:

The Treasury Department and the IRS, under Secretary Geithner’s leadership and Commissioner Shulman’s, are already taking far-reaching steps to catch overseas tax cheats — but they need more support. … These problems have been highlighted by Chairmen Charlie Rangel and Max Baucus, by leaders like Senator Carl Levin and Congressman Lloyd Doggett.

Obama makes it sound like he put the A-Team on the job, but only if It Takes A Thief to catch a “tax cheat.” Tim Geithner’s nomination almost got derailed — and should have been derailed — after it got revealed that the man who now runs the IRS skipped paying tens of thousands of dollars in taxes he owed, and for which he’d been reimbursed by his employer. Charles Rangel not only has tax problems, but also campaign-finance violations for which a House Ethics Investigation may yet be initiated.

Besides, if Obama wants to find tax cheats, he can always start with his own Cabinet.

Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.

Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!