The American Spectator

Hillary Clinton and her staff are angering some of her Senate Democratic colleagues for the floating of her name as a possible replacement for Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle should he decide to retire. /p>

It isn’t so much that under normal conditions a fourth year senator would never have an opportunity to move through the leadership ranks so quickly; it’s that Democrats are desperate for Daschle to make one more run in 2004 given their precarious electoral position. With questions about the retirement or early exit by such Democratic war horses as Sens. Bob Graham and Fritz Hollings, as well as Zell Miller in Georgia, Democrats would prefer that Daschle run again in an attempt to protect his South Dakota seat, which otherwise would seem to be a lock for Republicans. There it’s expected that former Rep. John Thune will try for the Senate again next year after his controversial loss to Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson in 2002.

“Hillary doesn’t need to be pushing our best people out the door or trying to dictate terms,” said a Democratic leadership staffer. “She isn’t looking at the situation on the electoral map as some of us are.”