Dark Victory is what? Year 3? That should be at least 12-13 years ago then according to Morrison's "Bruce has been Batman 15 years" scale. Also if DV (and Long Halloween) is strict canon now then "Bruce" and "Selina" (as opposed to Batman and Catwoman) have been intimate off-and-on for a likewise 12-14 years (as opposed to their revised Post-Crisis meeting - in civilian guise - during the Knightfall/NML era).
As for Daniel, I think he got a lot of brownie points because of Battle for the Cowl from Didio. Remember Geoff Johns got thrust into DC's big-wigs eyes (away from the Star and S.T.R.I.P.E series he created) because he was almost the only writer they could find who was willing to do "Day of Judgement" according to Geoff himself (this is the story in which Hal becomes Spectre). Geoff was basically handed the plotline (just as Daniel was with BfTC) and told to work from there. Years later, Johns had enough power bring Hal back as GL, ret-con Emerald Twilight and make Green Lantern one of DC's highest-selling books with Hal as the lead (something readers were told couldn't be done during the Emerald Twilight period).
DC has a bunch of go-to writers who are willing to do basically dialogue for whatever Editorial piece Didio has already mapped out (think Will Pfeiffer with Amazons Attack, Adam Beechan with the Batgirl fiasco and Countdown, Gray and Palmiotti also with Countdown, Sean McKeever with the slutty Ms. Martian and Wonder Twins mauled Teen Titans era and, again, also with Countdown). And then in return these guys will usually get rewarded with some leeway of their own (for instance, Gray and Palmiotti's PowerGirl book might as well exist in its own universe).