Daschle withdraws from race

TOM DASCHLE withdrew his nomination yesterday to be President Barack Obama's health and human services secretary, faced with problems over back-taxes and potential conflicts of interest.

“Now we must move forward,” Obama said in a written statement accepting Daschle's request to be taken out of consideration. A day earlier, Obama had said he “absolutely” stood by Daschle.

Daschle, the former senate Democratic leader, said he would have not been able to operate “with the full faith of congress and the American people”.

His statement came less than three hours after another Obama nominee also withdrew from consideration, and also over tax problems.

Nancy Killefer, nominated by Obama to be the government’s first chief performance officer, said she did not want her bungling of payroll taxes on her household help to be a distraction.