Posted on 05/17/2006 6:35:30 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle will gauge potential support for a 2008 presidential bid with stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and Michigan next month.
Daschle, the three-term South Dakota senator who lost a re-election bid in 2004, said Wednesday that the trip is a logical progression as he weighs a White House run.
"It's just taking the next step to a more thoughtful consideration of a presidential campaign," Daschle said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Iowa and New Hampshire are the traditional early voting states and numerous potential candidates have visited there in recent months. Michigan could be one of two states shoehorned in between Iowa and New Hampshire if the Democratic Party decides to change its primary calendar.
Daschle said he will be traveling to states to "sound out presidential themes, talk to voters and get a sense of what kind of a reception I might be getting." He also will be campaigning for local candidates.
Republican John Thune defeated Daschle, then the Senate Minority leader, two years ago. Since that loss, Daschle, a fellow at the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, started a political action committee to support Democratic candidates and has criticized President Bush on the Iraq war and other issues.
Daschle said he believes New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is the current Democratic front-runner.
"She's in a class by herself," he said. "In many cases she's like an incumbent. But I've learned after all these years in politics that what looks like a certainty one day could be a complete turnabout the next."
Daschle, 58, said he would decide by the end of this year, maybe sooner, if he will run for president.
run, Tom, run!
I'll donate to his campaign. Wellllll, ok, maybe I wont.
please, please, please....
Oh! Send him a penny or two!
Not a chance.
Postage due of course.
I'm deeply sadened to hear this. LOL!
But, of course!
Where are the waters that he's testing. I'd like to pee in it.
Tom might find the waters a bit chily? What does the midget have to offer? Pretty much nothing but more Bush Bashing.
"The Deeply Saddened Express"
Apparently not. But then again, unfortunately neither do the Republicans.
If I was hypothetically a flaming-liberal I still couldn't picture myself voting for him.
Can you imagine him in a group picture with other world leaders???
Yeah, he's the one standing on a box... and still a foot shorter than the rest. What an embarrasment. (no offense meant to shorter freepers, but don't run for President)
I guess he'd see eye-to-eye with Kim Jong-il.
Is he serious or is he positioning himself as Hillary Clinton's running mate?
Thank you. That is a great line.
..."Tom Daschle to Test Waters for 2008 Run"...
Bwahahah. Now that is funny!
Have you copped a look at John Howard lately?
With how screwed up this country has become, it would not surprise me one bit if Mr Daschle was elected President.
Given the water levels in NH at the moment Tom is going to come up short in his test.
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