This has probably been beaten to death, but Tom Daschle did a lot more than screw up.  He found out about his tax problems seven months ago.  Instead of saying "gee whiz, I'm not caught up", he waited till he knew who won the election.  Then he paid up a lot of money.  This is not some political naif who got caught up in the tax code.  If you believe that it was anything other than a willful decision, I've got a bridge in Alaska to sell you.  (The idea of Obama not keeping ethical standards, which I've seen on the winger sites, is absurd.  He maintained his standards, ergo no new job for Tommy-boy).

Imagine if, instead of not having to fight the justified anger of millions of people that pay taxes on everything, including, as applicable, their household help, he could launch attacks like this on a clean slate: