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Daschle tapped for HHS

Obama filling Cabinet with D.C. insiders

By Christina Bellantoni (Contact) | Thursday, November 20, 2008

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Barack Obama won the presidency despite having relatively little experience in Washington and ran as the candidate of change, but so far he is filling his White House with insiders familiar with navigating politics and policy in the nation's capital.

The Democratic president-elect's latest pick — of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to be health and human services secretary — was lauded by colleagues for his decades of service. The Daschle pick is also the latest example of Mr. Obama naming to his team people who have been working years in Washington or held jobs in President Clinton's administration.

Mr. Daschle, who turns 61 next month, has accepted the Cabinet post, though a formal announcement will not be made until he passes a background review. He also was tapped to lead a health-care transition group.

Mr. Obama has drawn both applause for shoring up an "experience" weakness and scorn from those who fear he is breaking his campaign promise to change the way Washington works.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said Mr. Daschle "knows the Congress and the rhythms of the Senate in particular," and said the pick of the former senator would improve the chances of passing major health care reform.

Mr. Daschle wrote a book this year about health care reform, saying the Clintons were eloquent about detailing the problem in 1994 but did a poor job of communicating their plan, which ultimately failed.

Mr. Daschle, defeated by Republican John Thune in 2004, was an early Obama endorser and a top adviser who helped Mr. Obama with key staff decisions, policy plans and campaigning over the past two years. The South Dakota Democrat served 25 years in Congress, first in the U.S. House, and 10 years as leader of the Senate's Democrats.

Republicans quickly blasted Mr. Daschle for his role at a powerful firm that has done lobbying on behalf of health and hospital associations.

Mr. Daschle is not a federally registered lobbyist, but is a special public-policy adviser for D.C.-based Alston and Bird, which has reported $5.9 million in lobbying income so far in 2008, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. He advises the firm's clients on public policy related to financial services, health care, energy, telecommunications and taxes, according to Alston and Bird's Web site.