NY Times calls for Daschle to withdraw (Update: He’s gone)
We believe that Mr. Daschle ought to step aside and let the president choose a less-blemished successor.
The WaPo is more forgiving:
Mr. Daschle deserves to be judged also on the basis of his long career in public service and his knowledge of and interest in health-care reform… if Mr. Obama still wants Mr. Daschle in the job, and he said yesterday that he does, based on the record known so far he’s entitled to have him.
Former WaPo correspondent (and relentless Bush critic) Tom Ricks observes:
That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach is caused by the course of Obama’s cabinet picks: Richardson blew up on the launch pad, two of the more prominent picks have tax problems, his CIA pick seems inexplicable, his no. 2 guy at the Pentagon needed a waiver from his new anti-lobbying rule, and Hillary Clinton and her hubbie strike me as a ticking bombs.
And to top it all off: Obama’s Choice For Chief Performance Officer Withdraws Name. Why? She’s in trouble with the IRS.
How I long for the good old days of “No Drama” Obama.