Obama Likely to Face Questions About Blagojevich

President-elect Barack Obama this morning will formally nominate Thomas A. Daschle to become the next secretary of health and human services, an appointment that was leaked a few weeks ago and will place the former Senate majority leader in charge of health-care reform.

The announcement is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern time. It will also place Obama in front of reporters for the first time since he issued yesterday's statement calling for Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) to step down after being charged with trying to sell Obama's recently vacated Senate seat to the highest bidder.

When announcing previous Cabinet appointments, Obama has left time for reporters to ask a few questions. Because folks both inside and outside the Beltway have been addressing Daschle as "Mr. Secretary" for a few weeks now, reporters who are called on this morning are just as likely to ask about Blagojevich as they are to ask about the new portfolio of the man who represented South Dakota in the Senate from 1986 to 2004.

The expletive-filled affidavit filed in court to support Blagojevich's arrest quotes lengthy conversations between the governor and his chief of staff about which potential Senate candidates might bring them the biggest personal windfall, and whether Obama's election might open the door for Blagojevich to be named to a Cabinet position.

Prosecutors have taken pains to say Obama is not implicated in the corruption case. Daschle was an early and loyal supporter of Obama, going so far as to hand off much of his political apparatus to Obama when the Illinois newcomer first entered the Senate.

In accepting the HHS job offer, Daschle negotiated an unusually broad portfolio for himself: In addition to running the behemoth department, he will be the administration's point person on health-care reform efforts.

Daschle has many friends on Capitol Hill, though former adversaries might raise questions in his confirmation proceedings about his work in the private sector after he lost his seat to a Republican challenger four years ago. They might also question the lobbying activities of Linda Daschle, the former senator's wife.

Daschle is not a registered lobbyist but a senior strategist at the law firm Alston & Bird, which has an array of health industry clients. Linda Daschle, a longtime lobbyist, has said she will set up her own niche firm, focused solely on transportation, going forward.

Health care is already emerging as a top-tier issue for the Obama team. In his radio address last weekend, the soon-to-be-president said he hopes to include additional federal dollars for Medicaid and money for health information technology in the next stimulus package.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said yesterday that he wants to have the bill ready the first week of January.