Next?

Image credit: Jeffrey Beall.

It looks like Tom Daschle decided to get out of the kitchen:

(CNN) -- The White House insists that it was entirely former Sen. Tom Daschle's decision to withdraw his nomination, but some observers say he didn't have a choice.

Despite the controversy over his tax records and his work in a field that some consider lobbying, Daschle was expected to be confirmed.

His withdrawal shocked Capitol Hill, and Democratic colleagues expressed regret over his decision.

"I think one of the major factors had to be that the political climate has changed radically just in the last couple of weeks," CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry said.

President Obama ripped Wall Street executives last week for their "shameful" decision to hand out $18 billion in bonuses in 2008 while accepting federal bailout money.

Pressure On Daschle Reaches tipping point

A couple of things jump out at me here. One is that Daschle apparently has Democratic colleagues who don't see a problem with Daschle's clear conflict of interest. That should tell you a lot about how bipartisan the rot is in DC. Second, it's finally a bad time to be a greedy, feckless asshole, at least publicly. Thank goodness for that, at least.