The withdrawal of Tom Daschle as the nominee for Secretary of HHS saddens me, but there is a lesson here and I think it is a painful one for the president. Irrespective of Daschle's qualifications for the job, and they are many, he represents what Washington has become - and what Obama has promised to change.
I thought Tom Daschle was the right guy to head HHS and to lead health care reform. He was respected, he had the experience and he also had a great deal to do with Obama's election. He had been a mentor to Obama in the ways of Washington and some of his former staff had taken key roles in the Obama senate office and in the campaign. It is probably fair to say that Obama would not be president without Tom Daschle.
Tom Daschle had been a senator from South Dakota and he was the Majority Leader when the Democrats last controlled the Senate. South Dakota has sent some notable Democrats to the Senate over the years, but it is a very conservative state. The Republicans targeted Daschle and he lost a very close election to John Thune in 2004.
After the electoral defeat, he did what many politicians do, which is to sell his knowledge of the Senate and Washington and he became wealthy doing that, making what has been reported as $5 million in income over those four years out of office.
As I wrote earlier, I think that Daschle was the right guy for the job. I also believe that he is an ethical person and would have the best interests of the country at heart, while having the intelligence and the skill to survive and thrive in an very tough environment - political Washington. The problem is that Obama promised change from the way that Washington works. Obama is an optimist in a very cynical place. Daschle came to represent all that is bad in Washington and what can happen to a very good person.
Money may or may not corrupt. What it appears that money did here is to cause lapses in judgment. Daschle came into it rather quickly and while I don't think it corrupted him, it appears that he got very comfortable with it and with the perks his new status brought with it. Obama promised to change all of this and Daschle's tale represents what many of us want gone from the system.
There is another facet of this story, as well. Daschle was Obama's friend and mentor. When the tax situation and Daschle's earnings became known, it may be that Obama liked and respected Daschle enough that he wasn't worried about it. In truth, it was a problem. It showed either sloppiness or poor judgment on Daschle's part and highlighted something that Obama wants to change, the revolving door between politics and influence peddling. The perception was terrible. Add this to Tim Geithner's tax problems and it makes Democrats look like a bunch of tax cheats.
Democrats hold themselves to a higher ethical standard than Republicans. I expect it. Obama has set a higher standard for himself and his administration and people take him at his word, as they should. Tom Daschle represents what many of us have come to hate about Washington. I would like to see that change. I want less opportunities for politicians to cash in during and after their time in office. They come here to do the people's business. We need to make it difficult to profit and to quit doing the people's business after they have completed their official duties.
This incident highlights another basic truth that may also be difficult for Obama to accept, which is that your friends can hurt you more than your enemies. It again gives some truth to the saying attributed to Harry Truman, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." In Washington, it is hard to have a friend. And to recycle another old saying, "Don't go into business with a friend."