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| Richardson to withdraw as Commerce secretary |
| 2009-01-04 |
| New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state. "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 Sunday in a report by NBC News' Andrea Mitchell. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process." He said he plans to continue in his role as governor. "I appreciate the confidence President-elect Obama has shown in me, and value our friendship and working partnership. I told him that I am eager to serve in the future in any way he deems useful. And like all Americans, I pray for his success and the success of our beloved country." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 He justs wants more time for hanging out in that biker bar in Los Cruces... |
| Posted by: crazyhorse 2009-01-04 21:12 |
| #9 Mr. Soetoro doesn't need any cabinets to work his wonders, and he can claim the budget reduction for those non-cabinets as change, I hope. |
| Posted by: Muggsy Glink 2009-01-04 17:52 |
| #8 You have to hand to Barry, he hasn't even entered office and he has already helped to end two corrupt political careers. (crossing fingers that hillary is the next to fall) |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2009-01-04 16:49 |
| #7 He never wanted that job. He wanted State. Bill can easily get out of this scandal. This gives him a convenient way out. Richardson is already sick of **Obama and his "wet behind the ear" decisions. **The Old Testament author Obadiah comes up as a spell check suggestion when typing Obama. What an insult to the Old Testament. Fred, I don't blame you for it. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. :-) |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2009-01-04 16:46 |
| #6 It's just so nice that politics has been cleaned up :-) |
| Posted by: Iblis 2009-01-04 16:11 |
| #5 Two former state Treasurers (NM-Name that Party) are serving time in federal prison for kickback schemes. When NM became a state, the federal statehood act mandated that state income derived from the then major business, mining, had to be invested not spent. The return on investment was the income the state could use for annual operations other than the usual taxes; sales, personal income, fees, et al. Well, it's been a hundred years and copper mining is still going in the southwest part of the state. That's a heck of lot of capital build up*. So those who can influence on 'where' the money is invested seem to get a lot of 'gifts' in * Also buried in the story is that the state was a significant holder in Big Oil. The Gov has coasted for the last couple years and spending freely upon that income. [It's fun speaking down on Big Oil while garnering big returns - shocked, shocked to discover there's gambling going on here.] Now that oil has crashed, he sorely wanted to be out of town before the new session of the legislature meets and has to deal with a big short fall from the prior budget. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-04 15:55 |
| #4 I hear the sound of knives being sharpened in the background. One hopes the continuing investigation reveals all sorts of interesting things. Richardson has been rather slimy for a while. He was a baseball player too, remember. Now if this also leads to him resigning as governor ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-01-04 14:16 |
| #3 CHANGE!! |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-01-04 14:12 |
| #2 or family, even |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-01-04 14:02 |
| #1 "spend more time with my famiy" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-01-04 14:02 |