Richardson To Be Named Obama's Commerce Secretary Tomorrow
Barack Obama will name Bill Richardson as his commerce secretary tomorrow, putting an end to speculation as to when he would install a Latino in a cabinet post, according to a source close to the transition and a Democratic official.
Obama's team also announced earlier that he would be holding a presser tomorrow morning, so it's safe to assume that the appointment -- which has already been reported by various news outlets -- will be unveiled there.
Richardson gave Obama a boost by throwing his support to the Illinois Senator during the Dem primary in late March. Though Richardson's endorsement came after some of the states with the biggest Latino populations had already voted, his decision to go with Hillary's chief rival still carried symbolic heft, because Richardson had served as ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of energy under Bill Clinton.
Kudos to Richardson!! I love the guy.
He'll be a terrific Commerce Secretary!
December 2, 2008 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still think he should have been nominated for SoS.
December 2, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you ever think Richardson might prefer Commerce?
Nobody knows that he wanted SOS. That was all speculation.
I'm glad he got a cabinet post. I expected him to.
December 2, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, you may be right. With Gates, and Jones, and Biden, and Obama all involved directly in foreign policy, maybe he didn't want it. On the other hand, there will alot of people involved with commerce due to the economic meltdown. Maybe he sees commerce as being more useful to the american people right now than secretary of state.
December 2, 2008 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
There was a story about how Richardson was asked to list four roles he's like to be considered for by the Obama team and he listed Secretary of State, Ambassador to China and Secretary of Commerce at three of the four.
I think he would have rather been SOS over Commerce as SOS is the higher profile job (and he did run for President afterall), but he wanted back into Washington that he'd have taken anything.
Will the presser be only for Richardson tomorrow? Or is there a possibility he's naming the rest of his cabinet - Interior, Agri, Labor, Education, Energy, Transportation, HUD and EPA?
December 2, 2008 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Commerce is an underappreciated post to be sure, but Richardson will make the most of it, and you can be sure it will be a pivotal position when we start doling out the "massive stimulus".
December 2, 2008 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
One would think.
December 2, 2008 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
or two!
:)
December 2, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good grief! At this rate, Obama will hold more press conferences before his inauguration than W held in 8 years in office!
People? Just a reminder: it's only 49 days until the W nightmare grinds to a close.
December 2, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
People? Just a reminder: it's only 49 days until the W nightmare grinds to a close.
Yay!!!!
December 2, 2008 4:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know - it's crazy good.
It's all crazy good. He meant it when he said transparency, apparently.
December 2, 2008 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Transparency" like when Lee Atwater first met Dan Quayle and said he could look into his eyes and see the wall behind him?
December 2, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ha!
Does anyone know if it's true that Quayle was advising Palin, as Trudeau asserted two Sundays ago?
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20081123
December 2, 2008 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is there a petition yet to get him to grow back the beard?
December 2, 2008 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd sign it. I'd sign it a million times. Honestly.
December 2, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
And the hair. Especially the hair. He has awesome hair and I loved it long.
December 2, 2008 4:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm jealous of his hair.
December 2, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
I like my own hair a lot, so I'm good, but I'd give anything to get ahold of that hair for Mr. Tena. He had hair a lot like that. At one time.
Alas. ;)
December 2, 2008 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a guy who, if I grew out my head I'd have an instant mullet, I'd love to have Richardson's hair too.
Just sayin'. (not that there's anything wrong with that!) ;)
December 2, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like Richardson with facial hair. I love men with (properly groomed) facial hair. Has anyone ever seen Obama with facial hair? Whenever I see him I'm always looking at his chin and above his lip because it looks like he shaves in these spots.
December 2, 2008 4:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
That beard looked very good on him.
I like facial hair, but it depends on the guy and the hair. lol!
I like soul patches and van dykes a lot. Full beards have to look right before I'm all that fond of them. That beard looked very good on him
He's a good looking guy - problem is, he knows it. He likes the ladies and they like him.
December 2, 2008 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Darn right. Where's MoveOn when you need them? :)
December 2, 2008 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is sooo "sexist." He is much more than a pretty face. Next you guys will be talking about his clothes or something.
December 2, 2008 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
;P
It's not sexist. Turnabout is more than fair play. It just makes y'all nervous. You worry that next we're getting into sizes.
December 2, 2008 4:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
lol, heh heh, please don't go there!
December 2, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now I for one am not nervous about that.
December 2, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
God, when the string gets like this I'm so glad I'm gay. OT, anybody seen "Milk"? Sean Penn is fuckin awesome.
December 2, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
And sports all manner of head and facial hair.
December 2, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's what I hear and I'm so glad to hear it cause I really have a thing for Sean Penn. I love the guy and he is not exactly universally loved.
I just think he's such a fine actor and I think it takes a lot of intelligence to be a fine actor and I've read his stuff at HuffPo. He is intelligent - he writes well, IMO.
December 2, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hear you. And my admiration only grew after I read this Rolling Stone article about his efforts to save people after Katrina:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7661196/apocalypse_there/
December 2, 2008 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I also have a thing for bad boys, and Sean has been such a good bad boy.
So there is that...
December 2, 2008 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
You'll love this film, then. Homework: before you go, Netflix "The Times of Harvey Milk" (1984). Best documentary ever made, and reinforces how astounding Sean Penn's performance is. Not a performance. A transformation. He inhabits this guy. Unbelievable.
December 2, 2008 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
OOOooooooooooooooooooooo! Zing!
December 2, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
That was supposed to show up under Michael A's comment about no worries.
December 2, 2008 5:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Sexist"? I dunno. Not to be insulting or anything, but none of the other nominees have hair like Richardson, so I can't say whether it's sexist or not. I can say, however, that it is resoundingly superficial, and I'm not taking back a word of it!
December 2, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
And look at the hair on the Republicans ,for god's sake. Really, hair can tell you a lot about someone.
Half the Repugs have hair just like a televangelist. Look at Norm Coleman-
December 2, 2008 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
The image of Ted Haggard just popped into my mind instead.
December 2, 2008 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's it! LOL
December 2, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Half the Repugs have hair just like a televangelist.
...Hagee, Robertson, Graham, Roberts, Bakker... Help me!!!
December 2, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
that should absolutely have been a condition of the job offer. i miss the beard, it made him look way cool.
December 2, 2008 6:23 PM | Reply | Permalink