Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration for the post of commerce secretary. The New Mexico governor says he is concerned that a grand jury investigation into a company that has done business with his state might delay the confirmation process.
Obama tapped Richardson to head the Commerce Department last month, to the delight of enviros who praised his strong record on climate and energy issues.
“Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact,” he said in a statement. “But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.”
Obama said in a statement that he is accepting the decision “with deep regret.” “Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office,” said Obama.
“It is a measure of his willingness to put the nation first that he has removed himself as a candidate for the Cabinet in order to avoid any delay in filling this important economic post at this critical time,” Obama continued. “Although we must move quickly to fill the void left by Governor Richardson’s decision, I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration.”
Obama made no mention of possible new nominees for the post.
Obama administration officials grateful for early spring
‘Copenhagen Diagnosis’ offers a grim update to the IPCC’s climate science
Copenhagen talks ready for take off: 5, 4, 3…
Comments
View as Flat
caniscandida Posted 8:45 am
04 Jan 2009
Not that Obama is absolutely required to choose another Latino for this cabinet position, but it would be nice of him to recognize the huge and burgeoning Latino population of this country, as well as the fact that US Southwest was seized from a Spanish-speaking government by a bullyish racist/imperialist gesture. "From the halls of Montezuma" ought to be not a lyric of pride, but of disgrace. We ought to celebrate the valiant deaths of los Nin~os de Chapultepec.
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
Permalink
Pompey Road Posted 1:00 am
05 Jan 2009
I admire and respect the Mexican people and have many Mexican friends really most are Americans since they are citizens and are no more Mexican than I am English. They work hard, sometimes two jobs just to make ends meet because of undocumented workers keeping wages and benefits low. I am of English decent but do not want to compete with 20,000,000 undocumented Englishmen for employment.
The old argument we stole the South West is ridiculous. The Spanish displaced the Aztec, Mayan and other indigenous people who in turn displaced the Apache and other indigenous Indian tribes of the South West. The original South Western People were not Mexican. If we tried to go back and untangle the complicated mess or who displaced who we all would have to leave the country except for the original indigenous people or what we call Indians.
It is well documented how the Mexican people treated the Apache as well as the
Anglo Americans who replaced the Mexicans. Richardson would have kicked the boarders wide open and in desperate economic times the Mexican American "I hate that term" citizens would be under more dire economic pressure having to compete with the undocumented.
The drug wars are leaving 10 to 20 dead every morning on the streets of towns just across the boarder and the violence is starting to spill over the boarder. The Mexican government has lost all control of the drug cartels and L.A. is losing control of the gang situation especially MS 13. The terrorist threat dictates that we have control of our borders and ports. Every other nation has this including Mexico. If we are to call ourselves a nation of laws all immigrants should take the legal path to citizenship. The illegal or undocumented workers are exploited here to sustain an industrial farming process that is an environmental nightmare that has been alluded to on this site. Cheap labor to sustain a type of agriculture that is destroying the land and killing the rest of us with chemicals. I have no problem with an amnesty program that requires the immigrant to learn English and take the standard citizen test.
I do not believe in fines for a hard working and industrious people who are just here to work and find a better life. Cruel and inhumane to fine the poor and destitute. The legal immigration route or quota should be doubled and half the slots should be reserved for undocumented workers who are already here. I am not ethnocentric or nationalistic I just hate to see the economic exploitation of an ethnic group. Just as tax breaks for outsourcing jobs is a corporate ploy to keep wages low the open border policy is just another ploy to keep downward pressure on wages and benefits and hurts the Mexican American citizen that is trying to raise a family and own a home much more than it does the other ethnic groups in this country.
The eons of time and nature was good to us down here. It was not until we become civilized that destroying our habitat become fathomable or fashionable.
Permalink
Delay And Deny Posted 9:48 am
05 Jan 2009
What a turnaround.
Bill Richardson was held up by the Democrat Party as the model of good Government.
But now, his crimes are so heinous that he darn't go before a Committee at all, let alone allow someone to ask a question about his back room dealings!?
Get the shovels, Senators, there's a lot of room to bury the skeletons in New Mexico...
An honest man is always in trouble. --Henry Fool
Permalink