Daschle reportedly says 'aye' to HHS offer

Former senator wins plenty of praise; his wife's lobbying work may be an issue

WASHINGTON -- Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader and a confidant of President-elect Barack Obama, will be nominated secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services as well as take on a broader role as administration health policy chief, according to several sources close to the transition process.

The early selection of Daschle, who until recently was not known as an expert on health policy, is recognition of the central role he played in Obama's political ascendancy and a signal that the new president wants an experienced Washington insider to shepherd comprehensive health legislation through Congress.

"Having Senator Daschle at HHS and as the point person for the Obama administration on health care would only improve the chances of" enacting health reform, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., who is already pushing for a bill.

If confirmed by the Senate, Daschle would take over a $707.7 billion department with nearly 65,000 employees spread across 11 operating divisions.

As HHS secretary, he will be under pressure to revitalize the Food and Drug Administration, bring financial stability to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and move away from what many researchers have complained is the ideologically-driven scientific agenda of the Bush administration.

For Daschle, 60, the more intriguing challenge may come in his yet-to-be-named role as the White House's highest-ranking health policy adviser.

When President Clinton attempted a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health system in 1993, he turned to his wife -- not the HHS secretary -- to lead the effort. Daschle, who watched the death of the Clinton bill up close, did not want a repeat of that experience.

A native of South Dakota who served as an Air Force intelligence officer, Daschle spent four terms in the House and three in the Senate. He is a soft-spoken conciliator, but a fierce competitor who surprised many when he defeated Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., in the 1994 race for Senate Democratic leader, a job he held for a decade.

While he weighed his own future, Daschle handed over to Obama dozens of his most trusted aides and political supporters, a gift that continues to pay dividends. Obama has already placed Daschle allies Pete Rouse and Phil Schiliro in top White House positions, and he has named former Daschle adviser John Podesta as co-chairman of the transition team.

Daschle serves as a distinguished senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the liberal think tank formed by Podesta.

Republicans said Wednesday that Daschle can expect questions at his confirmation hearing about lobbying by his law firm, as well as his wife's work in Washington.

Daschle is not a lobbyist, although his firm -- Alston & Bird -- does have a lobbying arm.

Linda Daschle is a registered federal lobbyist with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, which has numerous health care clients. To avoid a potential conflict, she said Wednesday she will resign and set up her own lobbying shop focused narrowly on transportation issues.