Tom Daschle

Ex-Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle is considering running for president in the 2008 race, as he blasts the Republican party for allegedly spreading a message of fear.

"I haven't ruled anything out or anything in at this point," Daschle told the Associated Press last night after a hometown dinner in his honor.

"I'm encouraged by the strong support many people have voiced for my candidacy around the country and in South Dakota. I'll make a decision at some point later on this year," he said.

The South Dakota native ripped the GOP for its use of the word "security," claiming the party was really trying scare the American public with a neverending war on terror, and he claims the U.S. is not any safer now.

"This country is not more secure when a president infers that he is above the law and can wiretap and eavesdrop on average citizens," Daschle said. "We're not more secure when we turn ports over to foreign countries."

Daschle, 58, held the top spot for Democrats in the Senate for a decade, until he lost his seat in 2004 to Republican John Thune. He had thought about running for president the same year he lost his Senate post, but chose not to run at the last minute.

It was revealed at the dinner that Daschle will take part in an event to be called Daschle Day, a fundraiser that will likely take place in the fall, and that he'll also host a campaign seminar to lend guidance to fellow Democrats seeking political office.

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