By signing up Bill Daley as his new Chief of Staff Barack Obama is tempting fate with a man who has failed to deliver in the most momentous clash between Republicans and Democrats in history.

As Al Gore's campaign manager in the disputed 2000 election, Bill Daley got completely outmaneuvered by that wily old fox Jim Baker on the Republican side and conceded the election to Bush. They lost the media war, the protesters war and finally the vote.

The fact that the campaign also refused to focus and attack third party candidate Ralph Nader, who won 98,000 odd votes in Florida as a vote splitter was also a huge oversight. In so close a state such a mistake was foolish to say the least

Both Daley and legal advisor Warren Christopher were the first to weaken in their assertion that Gore had legitimately won Florida. "He threw in the towel too early " remembers one close aide at the time.

According to Jeffrey Toobin in his book "Too close to call' Daley never seemed to show the heart for the fight that the other side did. He quotes him as saying to Gore "Look you got screwed," ... "but people get screwed every day. They don't have a remedy. Black people get screwed all the time. They don't have a remedy. Sometimes there's no remedy. There's nothing you can do about it...

According to Toobin "Gore railed against the prophesies of hopelessness he was hearing from Daley."

Now Daley is at the heart of a huge upcoming battle between Republicans and Democrats again in congress.

Obama will need all the help he can get The great grandson of Irish immigrants has proven himself in many political positions over the years but this is his most important yet.

Democrats will he hoping he will not end up a surrender monkey to Republicans again.