I must say that

I must say that after Tim Johnson defeated John Thune in 2002, I always thought Daschle would pull out a win over Thune in 2004. I underestimated the effects of the years of Daschle-bashing from the right. Daschle could certainly go toe to toe with the Republicans and knew how to throw an elbow. But I remember a Daschle aide once telling me, in a half-resigned, half-admiring frustration, of a staff meeting in which there was some discussion of playing hardball with some opponent — I can’t remember what they were suggesting or even what the context was. And Daschle’s response, seemingly without irony or any double-meaning, was “It’s not the Daschle way.” And that was that. Perhaps a bit of stiff rectitude, but more a basic decency, one that may not always have served him well in the shiv-play that is now Washington. But I’ll let others be the judge of that. Today the Post and the Times both run tributes and sum-ups of the departing Minority Leader. Take particular note of the accomplishments noted in the piece in the Post.