Daschle has his own health plan

By choosing former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head his healthcare reform effort, President-elect Barack Obama has picked up a hardheaded political strategy for his push to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. Guided by lessons from President Clinton's healthcare debacle 15 years ago, Daschle has put a premium on cooperation between the White House, Congress, and major healthcare interest groups. Daschle favors moving decisively to seize political momentum and, if necessary, cut off opposition, something he said Clinton failed to do in 1993.