“The first thing you notice when you sit down with Tom Daschle is that he’s got some really funky glasses. Like, surprisingly funky. Fire engine red with odd edges and varied trim, the sort of eyeglasses you’d see perched on the nose of an art dealer, not a former Senate majority leader. But despite the incongruent accessorizing, Daschle is a former Senate majority leader, through and through. After losing his South Dakota Senate seat to John Thune in 2004, he halfheartedly attempted to return to private life, joining a law firm and taking some teaching gigs. But soon enough, he was pulled back into public policy by the Center for American Progress, which convinced him to become a senior fellow. Soon after that, he began working with well regarded health policy researchers Scott Greenberger and Jeanne Lambrew on a book about the healthcare system. Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis, is now out, and most of it is fairly familiar. Costs are up, and coverage is down. Taxes are up and quality is down. Anxiety is up and access is down.” (05/14/08)