In this Dec. 11, 2008 file photo, then President-elect Barack Obama, right, stands with then Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, former Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle, during a news conference in Chicago. Daschle's nomination as health and human services secretary was derailed over a back taxes flap earlier this year. But that's not stopping Daschle, a close ally of the president, from playing a significant role in Capitol Hill health care talks — much as he'd be doing if he'd actually gotten the job.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)