The Hotline

From today's edition of The Hotline about Daschle's presidential ambitions:

DASCHLE: Politically Expedient Since 1978

     Ex-Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) toured IA 6/9, a day after he visited NH, "conceding he is looking at the idea of seeking" the WH '08 nomination. While in IA, Daschle said he wouldn't be deterred from campaigning in the state should IA Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) also decide to run. Daschle: "If you think you can give the country new leadership and new direction, that's what matters, not who else is running."
     While in IA, Daschle raised money for local pols, toured an ethanol plant with Dem Gov. nominee Chet Culver, and did about 2 hours of "unscheduled" driving, a "standard feature" of his SD campaigns "where he hops in a car and drives around, talking to whoever he meets"
     Daschle endorsed Culver's bid for GOV "months ago, partly because of Culver's call" for a $100M expansion of the renewable fuel industry. Culver "said Daschle's opinion counts because of his long history pushing for ethanol." Culver: "He has been a national leader on ethanol since 1978" (Glover, AP, 6/10).

Imporoving, Despite One-Loss Record

     Daschle "sounded very much the" WH "candidate last week during a speech in a Manchester restaurant," appealing to Dem activists with criticism of Pres. Bush and SD's abortion ban. NH state Sens. Sylvia Larsen, Lou D'Allesandro and Maggie Hassan said Daschle "impressed them." Hassan, on Daschle: "This went a long way to make me think that, if he wants to, he could be part of the serious field. That was a top notch speech."
     Veteran Dem strategist Peter Fenn: "It's a little tough to make a case sometimes that you have something going for you when you're not in office and in fact have been defeated. The bad news is that he doesn't have an office; the good news is that he doesn't have an office. He's free as a bird" (Jalonick, AP, 6/11).
     Daschle: "I'm 7-1 in a bright red state and I don't know of anyone else thinking about a race for the presidency who can talk about that kind of a record. I feel pretty good about my political past" (Glover, AP, 6/10).

Still Getting Local Ink

Daschle sat down with the Sioux Falls Argus Leader recently. Some highlights:

Asked if he's running for WH '08: "I've given it some thought, and this week will be another step in that decision-making process. I'll be going to" IA and NH "to talk to people there and to explore the possibility of a run, but I'll make that decision later on this year."
On why he'd run: "I think we're on the wrong track in so many ways, and I believe that the country is ready for change. It wants a new direction, and I think I may be in a position to provide it."
On if he'd run to raise money for his PAC or to get the VP nod: "I'm not looking at this challenge for any other reason than to examine the possibility of a race for the presidency. I don't give any credence to the notion that somehow you can run for" VP, "and I would have little interest in it at this point. I also have not had any difficulty raising money just in terms of my PAC or my activities politically since I've been in the" Sen. "So I don't need to run for" pres. "to raise money. That seems to be something that comes rather easily in any case."
On how he'd decide to run: "There's two major questions. One are the issues and the concerns I feel deeply about, concerns that are shared among my fellow" Dems "in the states that will make a decision with regard to the next" pres. "contest. And that's most important, it's just the opportunity to talk about these issues and to get their feedback and to listen. That's why I'm going to be doing something in" NH and IA "that I always have done in" SD. "I'm going to do some unscheduled driving in both" IA and NH "just to talk to regular people about the concerns and issues that I care about. The second is, of course, organization. Can we put together an organization that can be competitive? I'm not in this to have my name on a list. If I want to do this, I want to win."
On whether he'd be interested in talking to Sen. John Thune (R-SD): "Oh, sure. I'm sure that at some point in the future I'll have the opportunity. But we haven't had it yet. I haven't been on the Hill actually since I left the" Sen (Walker, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 6/11).