Opinion: Tom Daschle -- one man’s pick for Obama White House chief of staff

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DENVER -- Bruce Reed knows a thing or two about putting together an administration. He was a key policy aide for the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign and continued in that role during the transition. When Clinton took office, he served as chief domestic policy advisor.

So The Ticket paid attention today when Reed, appearing on a panel assembled to speculate how Barack Obama might govern as president, offered some thoughts on staffing.

He pegged Tom Daschle -- the former Senate majority leader who was an early Obama backer -- as White House chief of staff (which explained for us why there was very little VP buzz surrounding the South Dakotan -- he’s holding out for a job with REAL clout).

Reed, reflecting on his old White House job, foresees it being filled by Heather Higginbottom, a onetime top aide for Sen. John Kerry who now serves as Obama’s domestic policy director.

And as the go-to lawmaker on Capitol Hill, the one the new administration looks to for party discipline -- its own Tom DeLay, as Reed put it (referring to the former Republican House enforcer from Texas) -- Reed tabbed the always-feisty Illinois congressman, Rahm Emanuel.

Now maybe, just maybe, Reed’s predictions were influenced by the fact that Daschle, Higginbottom and Emanuel were his fellow panelists at the forum -- sponsored by the National Journal and moderated by the estimable Ron Brownstein (our former Times colleague). We did note a sly smile on Reed’s face as he offered his picks.

Still, each is plausible.

Daschle and Higginbottom laughed off the speculation. Emanuel was running late, so he wasn’t there to respond with a patented quip.

-- Don Frederick

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