Will Tom Daschle Make It Through His HHS Secretary Hearings? And One Question He Should Be Asked…

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) is trying to keep his hopes alive to be named secretary of Health and Human Services after it's come to light that he failed to pay almost $130,000 in taxes.

The short version: Of course, he'll make it. The Senate is an undistinguished gentleman's league and all the chattering classes are saying the same thing: This is no big deal. Nobody's perfect. Who hasn't skipped out on that much in taxes? Obama owes him big time and will defend him to the mat. Etc.

Here's a question for Daschle (and for that matter, Timothy Geithner, who had tax and nanny problems of his own that didn't stop him from being named Treasury secretary): When you amended your taxes and coughed up about $140,000 in back taxes plus interest, did you feel like you were stimulating the economy as much as you would have if you had spent that money yourself?

Update: Daschle is out. One small step for Obama, one giant step for taxpayers.