Daschle, redux

I can't feel sorry for Tom Daschle. I do feel a little bit sorry for us.

According to an article in the New York Times, Daschle tried to have it both ways -- to be pure enough to be acceptable as a public figure, and to be lobbyist enough to be rich. He spent unpaid time working for noble causes, and he didn't cross the line into active solicitation, which would have required being registered as a lobbyist. At the same time, he did maintain an elegant office in a lobbying firm, and he sold himself as someone who would be a rainmaker for the firm, facilitating the later lobbying efforts by others.

He didn't inhale, but he sold the drugs. He was personally pure, but he pimped.

I like the idea that -- at least for a while, because I know it's not going to last -- the impression is being given that lobbying is not the act of noble public servants, not the acts of people who want to be considered ethical or respectable.