Does anyone REALLY think HHS Nominee and former Senator Tom Daschle is NOT going to get confirmed as HHS Secretary? Please. C’mon.
Daschle messed up on his taxes big time. No doubt about it but as Vice president Joe Biden would say, “Ladies and Gentlemen” he used to belong to the most exclusive club in the World. That club is known as the United States Senate. It pays to have good connections and there’s no way his former colleagues are going to turn their back on him. The guy is even liked for the most part by Republicans.
Look, Senators only act when they are pushed by their constituents for fear of losing their seat. As much as Daschle blew the taxes situation, there is not a groundswell of opposition to Daschle back in their home states. Believe me, if constituents were calling for Daschle’s head then these Senators might act or vote no. But without that push, forget it. Ain’t happening. Anybody disagree with me?
Having said all that, you really do have to question the vetting process to a certain extent. You’ve had the Bill Richardson fiasco, then Geitner and his taxes and now Daschle. It’s hard to be perfect on every nominee but some of this stuff is pretty up front. It doesn’t take too much digging to figure out the problem.