Why I don't have any trouble with the appointment of Tom Daschle....

... even though he is a Statist former lobbyist whose ideas could ruin the healthcare system.

The reason is this: Barack Obama won the damn election.

And he won the election, based in part on the promises he made about universal healthcare.

So to expect him to do otherwise than appoint a long-term liberal/progressive [who happens to have also been a long-term supporter] who thinks exactly like he does on healthcare is neither surprising nor deserving of condemnation.

There was neither a rational political nor a significant moral reason for him to do otherwise.

The discourse at this point necessarily changes to winning the public argument over healthcare based on the merits of particular legislation or public policy.

It's decisions like potentially placing pro-torture appointees into Homeland Security positions or an advocate of extending the Patriot Act as Attorney General for which the President-elect can legitimately be criticized--as these appointments dramatically conflict with the values he espoused during the campaign.

But as for Tom Daschle (and his lobbyist wife who will come along as a silent partner) in Health and Human Services, what the hell did you expect?

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