Daschle gets dashed

Well wonder of wonders, whether it was Tom Daschle himself or Obama who let it be known that this nomination was thoroughly dashed on the rocks of unpaid taxes and something less than a frank and open acknowledgment of the problem, Tom Daschle withdrew from consideration as HHS Secretary. To me the crux of the problem was that Daschle acknowledged that he learned (if that was really when he learned) he would owe taxes on the limousine and driver provided for him by a Democratic fatcat with an investment fund in June, but didn't bother to pay the back taxes until Jan. 2 of this year, or to inform Team Obama about it until (if I remember correctly) a couple of days later. Here's the Register editorial that ran today, which I'm sure was the straw (though the chat shows foolishly attributed it to the NYT editorial that also called on Daschle to withdraw). I'm especially proud of the suggestion that Obama throw Daschle back into the velvet briar patch of influence-peddling (though many people might not get it since Disney's "Song of the South" is too politically incorrect to be shown anywhere these days).

I was especially amused at all the Democratic senaotrs yesterday who were proclaiming that Daschle -- "in Washington there are whores and there are whores and there are whores -- and then there's Tom Daschle," according to Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi -- was the very paragon of integrity and righteousness. Get blindsided much?

Daschle: incomparably sleazy

It's not just "forgetting" that he had to report the use of a limousine and driver as income, or even finding out about his "obligation" in June and not doing anything about until he had the HHS nomination. Tom Daschle, as this post from the invaluable Glenn Greenwald points out, is a first-class money-grubbing opportunist and sleazebag -- one of many who went to Washington to "do good" and ended up doing very well indeed, for himself. Since being defeated for his senate seat in 2004 he has been working in the lobbying and "legal" vineyards and raking in the bucks. It's not clear just how much money he has made -- $5 million over five years, $4 million last year alone; the stories aren't specific. But he's been paid plenty by the healthcare industry he's supposed to "reform." Now that he's got the bucks he wants power again.

Furthermore, while he was in the senate his wife worked as a lobbyist for the airline industry. Somehow people who had business or issues before the senate were eager to hire her (and help paty his mortgage. You won't hear much about it because plenty of "power couples" in Washington, from both parties, play the same sleazy games.