The dream names I'm hearing from health care activists are Howard Dean and former Oregon governor John Kitzhaber. I like both men. Neither will get the job. Dean and Obama have a poor relationship. Obama didn't keep Dean at the DNC, and he didn't even put Dean on the stage when he announced Gov. Tim Kaine to replace him. I'm not entirely sure where the distaste comes from, but it's there. And you really don't want the lead health reformer to suffer from a chilly relationship with the president. Kitzhaber is a different case. One of my pet ideas in 2008 was that he should launch a single issue presidential campaign on health care, He's brash and articulate and aggressive and appealing. He's a classic executive personality. But for all those reasons, he's not the right guy for the job. In Oregon, his governorship ended amidst poor relations with the legislature. His health reform plan was a smart idea, but it was fundamentally based on a form of rationing, and it eventually fell apart. He'd be neither an easy confirmation nor an obvious choice for the gig. So: Who should succeed Tom Daschle? I'm mainly thinking about the Office of Health Reform portion of the job here. Remember that this gig is primarily about interfacing with the House and the Senate. You need a candidate with knowledge of those institutions, as well as knowledge of the issue.