And the nominees for Tax Turkey are . . .

In the spirit of the latest string of tax-related scandals tied to the Obama administration, a New York accounting firm has compiled a short list of candidates and plans to let its clients vote on the ultimate Tax Turkey. “I’ve never before seen so many people run into tax issues like this,” said Brendan Pack, president of Tax Academy Inc. Mr. Pack and his colleagues named five nominees for what he expects to be the first annual Tax Turkey award election. The ultimate winner will be determined through votes placed over the next few weeks by the accounting firm’s 200,000 small-business clients. The nominees include: … Caroline Kennedy, who withdrew her bid for Hillary Clinton’s New York senate seat due to “personal reasons,” which unidentified sources said included tax problems, according to Mr. Pack. She had a $615 New York City tax lien levied against her in 1994. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, who was accused of failing to report $75,000 in rental income. … Democratic former congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana, who lost his re-election bid last year, who was indicted in 2007 on 16 charges related to racketeering, money laundering and obstruction of justice. … Timothy Geithner, President Obama's pick for Treasury secretary, who disclosed that he failed to report $34,000 in self-employment taxes from 2001-2004. … Tom Daschle, former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, President Obama's pick to head the Health and Human Services Department, who withdrew his name from the nomination after recently filing amended tax returns to report $128,203 in unpaid taxes and $11,964 in interest for 2005-2007. “When you look at a list like this, you really have to wonder about the vetting process,” Mr. Pack said. “It seems like they aren’t doing anything beyond reciting a list of each candidate’s latest accomplishments.” The ultimate winner (or loser) will receive a 14-karat gold Tax Turkey plaque, which Mr. Pack actually believes will be proudly displayed in the recipient’s home or office. “If they have any sense of humor, I think they’ll hang it on the wall,” he said.