By DEBORAH ORIN Bureau Chief

January 8, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle yesterday got a sudden case of cold feet about challenging President Bush in 2004 - and said he won't run for president after all.

Daschle joins Al Gore in deciding to opt out of the race - and Daschle's no-go decision came as a total surprise because his home-state South Dakota papers just yesterday were predicting he'd launch his campaign on Saturday.

But Daschle said a final gut-check convinced him it was the wrong move and he'd rather challenge Bush from the Senate.

"I'm not going to run for president because my passion is here," he said.

But Republicans said Daschle bowed out because he knew he couldn't beat Bush - especially after Daschle's strategy for opposing the president at almost every turn backfired in November and cost Democrats control of the U.S. Senate.

"Daschle tried all last year to don the mantle of leadership, and at long last he realized he just wasn't going to get there," said GOP strategist Rich Galen.

The biggest gainer from Daschle's exit is likely to be Rep. Dick Gephardt, a fellow Midwesterner whose strategy relies on winning the Iowa caucuses that are the first presidential nominating test.

Running for president would also have put the spotlight on controversial dealings by Daschle's lobbyist wife, Linda, and may have forced him to disclose his income taxes, including his wife's substantial income and clients.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003