Richardson for State

By Jennifer J. Foster

I just stumbled across an “instant editorial” on the Ft. Myers News-Press web site encouraging President-elect Barack Obama to choose New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for Secretary of State.

You know that Obama’s former rival, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), has all the buzz and seems to have all the momentum. Thanks to the wonders of anonymous sources, Obama is now expected to make Clinton’s nomination to the post official after Thanksgiving.

SIDEBAR: Check out the lead in that article. Never mind that he isn’t president yet; Obama is already pulling off “daring and difficult diplomacy.“ The author of that article must have had to stop a few times while writing it to wipe his teary eyes. END SIDEBAR

But the News-Press’s David Plazas makes a case for Richardson that is as powerful as it is succinct:

Richardson is New Mexico’s governor (executive judgment), he’s been a congressman (legislative experience) and he’s served as the Clinton Administration’s ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary (national security credentials).

The experience of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who’s expected to get the nod, does not come close to equaling that of Richardson, who once negotiated a hostage release in the Middle East.

I couldn’t agree more.

It doesn’t look like Richardson is going to be the pick. And that’s unfortunate—not just for the missed opportunities Obama is passing up, but also for the mess he’s setting himself up for with Clinton. I understand the “team of rivals” concept. But considering some of the things Clinton said about Obama during the course of the campaign, treating Clinton like any other rival would be like treating Michael Jordan like any other basketball player.

Read the rest of the “instant editorial” endorsing Richardson here.

Granholm in D.C.

By Jennifer J. Foster

As I was writing my column for tomorrow’s paper about the Big Three bailout pursuit, I began wondering why we haven’t heard much from Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm about this issue.

As it turns out, she has been very vocal about her support for the bailout—the national press just hasn’t been covering it.

So why haven’t we seen her in Washington this week? Everyone involved in the domestic auto industry is there, lobbying for the deal. But no sign of Granholm.

I checked out her web site and realized that she was actually in the Middle East this week on another trade mission.

Yes, that Middle East—as in, Jordan, Israel, etc.

Her web site detailed the trip and said she was fulfilling her promise to go anywhere and do anything to promote Michigan and try to secure jobs for and investment in the state.

That’s laudable, I thought. And given Michigan’s terrible economy, that’s what she should be doing.

But to do it the week that the domestic automakers were trying to salvage a lifeline for the companies that employ a half a million people in and around her state?

Bad move.

I was already writing a blog post about this in my head—absentee governor, etc.—when I read that she was actually cutting her trip short to appear in D.C. to join the lobbying efforts in favor of the bailout.

Good move.

Keep an eye out for my column on the Big Three bailout this weekend: Our friend Ron Gettelfinger is going to make an appearance. If you live in this area, you can read it in the print edition of the Opelika-Auburn News tomorrow. If not, I’ll post a link to it here.