Daschle Considering '08 Presidential Bid

[deadparrot]

ABERDEEN, S.D. - Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, accusing the GOP of spreading a message of fear, says he is considering a 2008 presidential bid.

"I haven't ruled anything out or anything in at this point," Daschle said in an interview Saturday night after a hometown dinner in his honor.

"I'm encouraged by the strong support many people have voiced for my candidacy around the country and in South Dakota. I'll make a decision at some point later on this year," he said.

Daschle said President Bush and Republicans have overemphasized the importance of the war on terror, and he said the U.S. is no safer now than it was before the Iraq invasion.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060312/ap_on_el_pr/daschle2008

[natrat]

1. fuck him that weasil scumbag

[MoJoWorkin]

2. Best laugh I have had today.....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[BillZBubb]

25. You beat me to it.

What a joke.

[mitchum]

3. As the candidate for which party?

[cornermouse]

4. No thank you.

I don't care how much he tries to raise the appearance of support, I do not believe there is any real support for his candidacy any place other than in his own hopes and imagination.

Fact is, back when we needed him to lead he simply wasn't there. I see no reason for him to be there now.

[CatholicEdHead]

5. Sorry Tom, but the GOP has made your name mud

across the country. Is it all your fault? No, but many people respond to your name with the same pavlovian response as when Hillary is brought up. Rush et al will just dust off the same old attack points (which sadly many people already have heard countless times) and do you in.

They will smear whomever comes around, but a different (currently not-attacked) name will have more creditiblity in the overall voting population.

[Connie_Corleone]

6. Oh, Tom. Please don't. nt

[Placebo]

7. He has the charisma of a potato.

vs.

WE REPORT. YOU DECIDE?

[aden_nak]

8. Technically, I haven't ruled out running for President in 2008 either.

Now, what's interesting is that my campaign budget is currently about seven dollars. I guarantee that I will get as many electoral votes as Tom Daschle.

[CONN]

41. I'd vote for you before Daschle...

based on all I know. I'd never vote for Daschle based on his record as Sen. Leader during Bush's 1st term. Heck, he was an enabler.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Fugehetaboutit.

[Skink]

11. His book" Like no other time" is a great read.

[NJ Democrats]

10. Don't Run Tom. Just Don't

Don't Even Think aobut it!

[IndianaGreen]

12. His wife doesn't want him to run

He should listen to her!

[VegasWolf]

13. He can run but he can't hide! No damn way would he make it. nt

[saltpoint]

14. Daschle isn't my first choice for the nomination and he faces a field of

very sturdy candidates. He could surprise me and do better in Iowa, for instance, than I would expect him to, but I think he's up against some tall waves. Whose constituency, among the possible or probably candidates already, would Daschle be able to siphon support from? Enough to place in the top three positions? For me, that's an unlikely outcome. Not impossible, but just unlikely.

His speaking style is tremendous for a quiet walk or conversation, but not very electrifying on the stump. He's extremely pleasant-sounding but there is no Teddy Roosevelt energy in him that he can convey to party activists. He needs some of Teddy's umphf! before he tackles a 2008 campaign.

His calm demeanor is a personal plus, if it could translate to votes. Hurting him would be his presiding over the loss of so many defendable seats in the Senate.

In his defense, it was Bill Frist, aka THE CAT BUTCHER, who left aside his duties as opposing leader to travel to South Dakota to undermine Daschle's re-election bid against John Thune. To begin with, Thune is a right-wing dunderhead, and more to the point, it's nasty, subversiave politics to undermine a senator whose ranking requires that you work with him on numerous points of protocol, procedure, and conflict resolution. Daschle definitely did not deserve the shitstorm visited upon him by Bill Frist.

Intelligent, but perceived as compromised in the first Bush term, and in need of speaking lessons if he ever expects to rouse an audience.

____
edit: spellin'

[ReadTomPaine]

15. I'm still waiting for an apology from him for his atrocious stint as ML.

He still equivocates, despite the fact that he's nowhere near an elected office. Daschle defines "spineless Democrat". Harry Reid, a considerably more conservative politician, has wiped the floor with Daschle's record and Reid's relative popularity with Dems of all stripes is proof of this.

[AndreaCG]

16. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No comment needed.

[flordehinojos]

17. just stay home, pleeeeaaaazzzzzzzz

[davekriss]

18. That would be a complete waste of campaign contribs (eom)

[havocmom]

19. If true, he needs meds, supervision,

and perhaps well upholstered walls

Now, running for doormat is a different matter...

[Vidar]

20. Don't think much of Tom or S. Dakota at this point.

[benddem]

21. Oh Puhleez

stay home!

[Pithy Cherub]

22. Since Daschle willingly enabled the corrupt Bushco,

he's making that his signature presidential campaign theme. Ought to go really, really well. :yoiks:

[atreides1]

23. Why?

Did he have a spine transplant?

[Jim Sagle]

24. DU to Tom: Ppppffffbbbttttttt!!!!!!!!!

[Demeter]

26. Daschle Should Buy a Boat & Take Up Fishing

his public life is over.

[Raine]

27. Daschle couldn't even

get enough votes in his own state to stay in office. How the hell does he think he can get enough to get the nomination let alone actually get elected! :crazy:

[Horse with no Name]

28. I thought this was from "The Onion"

:eyes:

[jaysunb]

29. President of what ??????????

United Wimps of America ???????????

[doubleplusgood]

30. Joe-mentum, meet Tom-nertia

[TroglodyteScholar]

31. This is a joke, right?

Tell me this article is from The Onion.

[TankLV]

32. Give it up, you spineless repuke asswipe!

We were tired of you before you lost - we don't want or need you back.

[FARAFIELD]

33. Why?

He couldnt even beat crappy John Thune, which means Tim Johnson could beat Daschle pretty handily

[CatholicEdHead]

34. To be fair to Tom, outside money did him in

Media in SD is so cheap, they were putting out mudslinging talking points well over a year before the election. The Repubs made it more about anything but what it should have been about, what Tom did for the state as a Senator. Everything was used, true or not, so it was a Anti-Daschle election rather than a pro-Thune election. The state has suffered ever since.

[democrank]

35. If Daschle is serious about this

then he`s more out of touch than I thought.

[madaboutharry]

36. There must be something in the water

out in South Dakota. People are coming up with the craziest ideas. Daschle has as much right to consider a run for the presidency as my dog.

[DoYouEverWonder]

37. He's got to be kidding

He couldn't even keep is seat in SD.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

40. Word. Seriously, now.

[ruggerson]

38. Mr. Rogers for President?

I don't think so...

[shanti]

39. i hope he doesn't

because he has the charisma of a wet washrag.

[savemefromdumbya]

42. NO

[Texacrat]

43. I doubt some on here understand how hard it is to be a legislative leader

People tend to forget that Daschle kept Roberts off the bench in 2001. They forget he stopped the still non-existent ANWR. They forget that he kept Miguel Estrada off the bench, who is now back working in private practice.

Legislative leaders (on both sides) get little respect from their OWN party because they do all the gruntwork, thus garnering many enemies, without getting any friendly publicity.