Posted on 01/04/2009 5:06:06 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) President-elect Barack Obama, starting his new life in Washington, faced Sunday the first major embarrassment over his cabinet lineup as his choice for commerce secretary was forced to pull out.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said he was withdrawing his name from contention for the economic job owing to an investigation into a financial company doing business with his state.
Richardson's withdrawal came as Obama left Chicago to join his family in Washington and begin the final countdown before his inauguration as president on January 20.
After winning plaudits for a smooth transition process thus far, Obama must now rapidly find a replacement to Richardson on top of crafting a mammoth economic rescue bill that Democrats in Congress hope to pass early next month.
The package, worth up to one trillion dollars, is needed to prevent a "much deeper economic downturn" with the United States already in the grip of recession, Obama said Saturday in a weekly radio address.
In a joint statement issued with Obama, Richardson said he had asked the president-elect to pull his name from the Senate confirmation process with "great sorrow."
"But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months," he said in the statement, without going into details.
The Commerce Department is not in the front lines of US economic policy-making, but Richardson, a heavy-hitter who was said initially to be in consideration for the State Department, becomes the first big name to quit the putative Obama administration.
The withdrawal came a month after Obama nominated the top Hispanic politician to the Commerce Department on December 3, when a federal grand jury investigation into the company was already under way.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Poor baby, my heart bleeds
Hopey Changemas.
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama listens as New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (L) speaks after being introduced as nominee for commerce secretary during a news conference in Chicago, in this December 3, 2008 file photo. Richardson has withdrawn as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for commerce secretary, an Obama aide said on January 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes/Files
Those “cabinets” he’s grappling with, with his headache are called ears.
Peter Paul, Peter Paul, Peter Paul.....
US President Elect Barack Obama speaks to reporters aboard an Air Force 757 before his official flight to Washington at Chicago's Midway Airport. Obama, starting his new life in Washington, faced the first major embarrassment over his cabinet lineup as Bill Richardson, his choice for commerce secretary, was forced to pull out. (AFP/Tim Sloan)
They sure are showing their hand!
0bama’s gonna show up and the FIRST order of bid-ness is to extort another few billion from the American Taxpayer?
Good thing the majority of people who voted for him don’t PAY any taxes and actually get REBATES for all of their illegitimate kids and not working all year!
Yeesh!
Wake me up when this is all over. This MULE is dern sick of pulling the wagon while everyone else rides!
He’s hitting the ground pouting and whining.
I still can’t get over the fact that people of the country voted for this bozo. What the f*** has he ever done? Nada
Richardson, Hillary, Blagojevich, Tsu, Rezko . . . .
Dems, MSM Rush To Implement "Fairness Doctrine"
It’s like a Twilight Zone coaster ride .. call it
Destination: Nowhere..
You get nowhere fast.. then get back inline.
—
Something is scrambling voters minds.
Bizarro is right when it’s not the message, it’s the messenger.
Obama Economics
Address:http://community-2.webtv.net/YaquinaBay/ObamaEconomics/
His kids seem well mannered from the tv clips I have seen, but I hope they drive him nutty with Dad when do get our dog huh dad what are we going to name him huh dad yadda yadda yadda.
My personal belief on Obamas Dad is regardless of his absense hey still may have been cut from the same cloth. (saw him cut up on his old man for being a rolling stone).
My sons Dad chose to exit stage left so I never put him on the BC and had him legally declared no rights to his son in any shape or economic form which he signed his rights away.
That being said we moved far far away so his dad and that clan come up for a visit about every 10 yrs and it is amazing how much alike the two boyz are. The good stuff like humor and such.
Gotta be in the genes. JMO
We now have EWTN on our local cable.
KV watches it All the time now.
But they have a news type show and discussed Obama and his new position as POTUS.
LOL I have never seen someone tossed under the bus so graciously.
He’s had a couple of months to figure out the course of Washington and America. God help us. Liberals are stupid to the point of eliminating themselves.
If the rest of us were smart we'd figure out how to have a bartering system like in the old days. We're all sick of supporting the other half. Nobody's come up with out to not do that yet.
This is not going to be the last wait until they dig into the beasts finances!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.