Daschle '08?

Tom Daschle just dropped $500K into a new PAC, and is giving a big speech in Iowa on Jefferson-Jackson Day (which I believe is in November.)

Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's interest in public office isn't necessarily latent: he has set up a new political action committee and plans a Jefferson-Jackson Day speech in the politically pivotal state of Iowa.
Daschle, who was considered a possible candidate for president in 2004, has quietly eschewed most publicity since his defeat to Republican John Thune last November. But Steve Hildebrand, director of the new committee and Daschle's former campaign manager, said the well-known Democrat from South Dakota "is not going to rule out opportunities to play important roles in public service."
"It could be president, it could be vice president, it could be something else," Hildebrand said. "It could be nothing."

Politicians don't schedule major speeches in Iowa unless they are thinking of campaigning for the Presidency. Daschle, whose ego has probably not fully recovered from losing his Senate seat to John Thune, probably fancies himself a viable option. And really, when you consider how far to the left certain forces are trying to pull the Democrats as a party, why wouldn't a big lefty like Tom Daschle want to throw his hat in the ring.

Daschle's flack tries to temper expectations:

But Hildebrand insisted that Daschle's appearance is not about running for the presidency. It is about supporting his Democratic friends in Iowa, he said.
"He is not today looking at his options for higher office," Hildebrand said.

Yeah, right. Not today.Politicians always aspire to higher office, because that's where the power is. Congressmen aim for the Senate. Senators lust after the Oval Office. That's politics, and Tom Daschle, no matter what anyone says, is a politician to the core.
Daschle and his people can say what they want, but the fact is that if Daschle's newly-raised profile has any kind of traction with Democrat voters, he should probably be considered in any discussions about potential 2008 Presidential candidates.
Think of how much fun it would be to see Daschle and Hillary go at each other in a no-holds-barred primary knife fight...

LA Official Distributes Relief Supplies To Self

A case study in why people don't trust government officials:

Police found cases of food, clothing and tools intended for hurricane victims at the home of the chief administrative officer for a New Orleans suburb, authorities said Wednesday. Officers searched Cedric Floyd's home because of complaints that city workers were helping themselves to donations for hurricane victims. Floyd, who runs the day-to-day operations in the suburb of Kenner, was in charge of distributing the goods.
Police plan to seek a charge of committing an illegal act as a public official against Floyd, and more charges against other city workers are possible, police Capt. Steve Caraway said.
The donations filled a large pickup truck four times. "It was an awful lot of stuff," Caraway said.

It's like looting, just more organized. Instead of going out and finding stuff to steal, Cedric Floyd, whose responsibilities include coordination of emergency management procedures, waited for the relief supplies to arrive, and then kept them handy so that he could supply them to himself and other city workers.

Disgusting. The AG has said that once all the materials collected are processed as evidence, they'll be distributed to hurricane victims who desperately need them.

Cedric Floyd better get himself a talented lawyer, because he is really, really screwed. Have fun finding a sympathetic jury. I wonder how many of the cronies who were in on this will flip and testify against him.

Strangely, a spokesman for the mayor tried to throw a little political cover Floyd's way:

Philip Ramon, chief of staff to Kenner Mayor Philip Capitano, has said city officials were investigating the alleged pilfering but added that many employees were themselves hurricane victims.

Note to Philip Ramon and his boss, Mayor Capitano: Everyone in Kenner was a hurricane victim. That doesn't give the ones on the city payroll the right to help themselves to a private stash of donated relief supplies that the chief administrative officer has set up in his home.