Bring it on brother: Old Ways Doomed New Job for Daschle -- Some See Failed Nomination as Harbinger of Change

From The Washington Post:

A classic rule of Washington's political culture -- that public service can lead to personal riches -- seemed to collide yesterday with the presidential promise that the time has come for a break with the past.

Daschle's 30-year career in Washington [was] built on a reputation of integrity and decency. After losing his Senate seat while serving as that body's most powerful Democrat in 2004, he swiftly signed on as a special policy adviser to a 900-member law firm [Alston & Bird] and pulled in a multimillion-dollar salary. It is a well-worn path, trod by dozens of ex-lawmakers in the past decade.

But some observing the debacle wondered if the capital's ways were changing. [Daschle's story shows] how he fell in with the monied elite and out with the popular mood . . . [and may represent] "some sort of bridge between an old Washington and the new Washington."