Richardson to Commerce?

[cal04]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/11/richardson_to_commerce.html?hpid=topnews

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a "serious contender" to head the Commerce Department under President-elect Barack Obama, according to a Democratic official close to the proceedings.

Richardson was originally in the mix to be the secretary of State but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is now expected be announced for that post after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Commerce was originally rumored to be going to Penny Pritzker, the finance chairwoman of Obama's campaign and a close friend of the Illinois senator, but she removed herself from consideration on Thursday due to an inability to extricate herself from a series of complex business ties.

Richardson, who was elected governor of the Land of Enchantment in 2002 and reelected with 69 percent of the vote in 2006, has made no secret of his interest in returning to Washington to take a place in the Obama Administration. A longshot contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, Richardson endorsed Obama in his primary battle with Clinton (to the dismay of many Clinton supporters), and, if nominated for Commerce, would help round out Obama's "Team of Rivals."

[WI_DEM]

1. I was hoping that he would be National Security Advisor

but if he wants Commerce that's fine too.

[Elwood P Dowd]

2. Huge supporter of NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and other outsourcing deals

when he was a congressman during the Clinton years.