Free Republic

When Carly Fiorina leaves Hewlett-Packard, she could have another career -- in politics. Local political observers say Fiorina, a Republican, would be a good candidate for either an elected or appointed office. ``I know she is a very attractive personality,'' said Duf Sundheim, the chairman of the California Republican Party. ``I know there are those who would love to see her run.'' Fiorina has kept any such plans close to the vest. When asked a year ago if she would consider a career in politics, she coyly answered that she ``never thinks about the next job'' so that she can...

Hewlett-Packard shocked Wall Street Thursday by announcing disappointing sales and profits even as some of its top competitors are thriving. HP Chief Executive Carly Fiorina blamed a series of internal missteps for the shortfall, which she called ``unacceptable.'' She immediately fired three top executives. But some analysts said the poor performance reflected deeper problems raised by HP's $19 billion purchase of Compaq Computer two years ago. In a conference call with investors, Fiorina said, ``Execution issues cost us and therefore we are making immediate management changes.'' The financial bombshell came a week before the company was scheduled to release its...