As nominee trips, healthcare drive suffers a setback

The abrupt collapse of Tom Daschle's cabinet nomination undercuts President Obama's mission to expand healthcare by depriving him of a well positioned architect for a big legislative campaign and leaving him without a backup plan. Daschle's decision to withdraw his candidacy for secretary of health and human services could slow the president's drive to reshape the nation's healthcare system as the White House searches for a replacement, analysts said. But the White House insisted that Daschle's departure would not stop the effort to cover the uninsured and rein in health costs.