The pundit class is already buzzing with reaction to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's withdrawal as Health and Human Services Secretary-designate today. Here are a few initial takes:
"This just in," quips the Dallas Morning News' Todd J. Gillman. "If you want a cabinet post, and you haven't paid your taxes, try to get confirmed before all the other nominees who haven't paid all their taxes."
"Why did Barack Obama stick by him so defiantly for so long?" wonders Philip Sherwell of the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph. "And in the current horrendous economic climate, how did he think this was playing outside the Beltway? And what happened to that much-vaunted vetting process?"
"Odds are that Daschle could have gutted out the hearings and won confirmation, but he and/or the Obama administration weren't willing to deal with the distraction and were concerned about his lobbyist-like activities," CBSNews.com editor in chief Daniel Farber asserts.
The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder questions whether Daschle withdrew too soon: "The fact remains that until late last night, not a single senator, Republican or Democrat, came out against Daschle's confirmation. This morning, there was only one -- Sen. Jim DeMint."
And in case anyone doubts the influence of the editorial boards, NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that Daschle made his decision to withdraw after reading this morning's New York Times editorial calling upon him to do so.
For its part, however, the Times speculates -- in an update to that same editorial -- that Daschle may have been "propelled" to withdraw after Nancy Killefer, the former White House chief performance czar, withdrew her nomination to be White House chief performance officer today because of her own tax woes.And Moving On...
Reuters has a list of possible second choices for HHS, including former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
But The American Prospect's Ezra Klein doesn't think Dean or former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber will be nominated.
"One of the tactical arguments in favor of keeping Daschle was that it wasn't clear who had the combination of stature and health care knowledge to replace him." The New Republic's Noam Scheiber suggests Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
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