Warner's arm was moving forward *without control of the ball.*

I did not have relations with that form 1040...

OK, Barak loves him some Tom. Maybe feels he owes him some too.

Whatever happens on health care, you can be sure it won't be because Daschle won it or lost it. I'd argue now that Daschle is lead weight on that issue, but I'd just be howling in the wind of insider thinking. I remind folks however that Baucas, Kennedy (if he makes it) and Pelosi/Waxman will make or break this effort - and that Obama/Daschle have already lost control of the process. Daschle as 'herald of the people? hahahahaha

"In certain ways, he's Obama's political godfather. To that end, Daschle occupies a unique role in Obamaland"

Which is precisely why it would be so heartening to see Obama use this opportunity to cut the cord and actually have a successful administration.

Not that I'm expecting such luck...

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I'm looking forward to the many Ezra apologias from next year about how Daschle's attempt to regroup on the healthcare front after missing the golden opportunity of year one was all part of the grand plan from the beginning.

After all, Ezra has looked into Tom Daschle's soul, and deems him a good man.

GO TO DASCHLE'S WIKIPEDIA someone changed it to Unites States Senator from Tax Cheater State HA

crap they changed it back

I really think it's important for Obama to stick up for Daschle, Geithner, and others. One of the most damaging ideas in modern America is the idea of "zero-tolerance" policies. But since everyone is guilty of some small violation of the law, zero-tolerance policies quickly become witchhunts, if they are rigidly enforced. I laughed my ass off when I first read California's use tax laws on my tax return, aware that not 1 Californian in a 1000 would really pay their use taxes with 100%, or even 95%, accuracy. The fact that Geithner and Daschle are paying these taxes mean they are more honest and humble than most appointees, because they are honest enough to admit they were in violation of the laws, while most appointees would just keep their mouth shut and try to pretend that their taxes don't stink. I gurantee you that every Bush appointee was in violation of these use tax laws, and the reason it never made a 'scandal' is that the vetters and Bush justice officials were not as thorough and scrupulous as Obama's people are.

a relevant quote, I think, from a Bill James baseball book:

"In the army, or in any fascist or totalitarian state, they have laws against most everything, laws that are never enforced so long as you behave yourself. Then you make somebody mad, or the captain wakes up on the wrong side of the cot, and whammo. You just broke fifteen laws. Having laws on the books that are not enforced puts every policeman in the robes of a judge, empowered to decide who the guilty are today. In a free society, since the law cannot be arbitrarily or capriciously enforced, a statue that is not enforced is not enforceable."

Not that these tax laws are unenforceable, but they cannot be enforced too rigidly, they need to be enforced with some common sense.

roublen, you described these United States all too well. Tons and tons of laws that never get enforced and nobody seems to give a damn. Not just on taxes (if you’re rich and white at least), just ask all the guys tortured by Uncle Sam from Abu Graib to Gitmo to the real black sites we never hear about. Or ask all the Iraqis and Afghanis liberated to death by hell from above and all those who are still trying to pick up the pieces. On the bright side we’re letting in enough illegals that pretty soon the whole country will be like Calif., a paradise if ever there was.