Facing a growing outcry over his failure to pay taxes on a car and chauffeur and his cozy relationship with the health-care industry, Tom Daschle has removed himself from consideration for secretary of Health and Human Services. He said in a statement that he didn’t want to be a “distraction,” and told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell that he came to his decision after reading the Times editorial this morning. Hear that, Times? If we don’t get health-care reform now, this is on you.
