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Anonymous

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Bill Richardson bows out of commerce secretary job

(CNN) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is withdrawing his nomination to be commerce secretary, citing the distraction of a federal investigation into ties to a company that has done business with his state.


Gov. Bill Richardson said a probe focused on him would delay work toward bettering the economy.

Two Democratic officials told CNN the investigation involves a California company that won municipal bond business in New Mexico after contributing money to various Richardson causes.

In a statement Sunday, Richardson said he asked Obama "not to move forward" with his nomination now.

"I do so 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," the statement reads. "Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.

"Given the gravity of the economic situation the nation is facing, I could not in good conscience ask the President-elect and his Administration to delay for one day the important work that needs to be done."

Dems pick new DNC Chair
Va. governor Timothy M. Kaine will operate in part-time capacity until 2010, when he'll take over the job full-time
.
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his name as Commerce Secretary-designate this afternoon for the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama.

With an almost audible sigh of relief barely two weeks before his inauguration Obama, in a printed statement that won't provide archival video footage, said he accepted the resignation-before-actually-taking-office "with deep regret."

And 16 days before becoming president, Obama sought to turn the PR smudge and federal probe of Richardson, his first Latino Cabinet pick, and his government into a patriotic plus: "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."

It may also be a measure of the inadequacy of the new Obama administration's vetting process that it somehow missed or ignored the ongoing and widely-reported grand jury testimony over alleged incidents in 2004 in New Mexico, part of a broad federal investigation of selling state services. It would seem to be an obvious something for the experienced Richardson to include when completing the 63-page questionaire given to potential Obama appointees.

While everyone was enjoying their holidays and watching Obama's Hawaiian vacation, word continued to leak that Richardson and his gubernatorial aides are under investigation by a federal grand jury probing the possibility that they steered state bond business to a Beverly Hills firm in return for $100,000 in donations to two Richardson PACs back in 2004. (See original Ticket item from Dec. 26 below.)

Unspoken by both Obama and Richardson today was the political reality that the Democrat-controlled Senate, which would have to confirm Democrat Richardson for the new Democratic president, is already in a mortifying fight with Illinois' Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich over a similar federal "pay-to-play" probe of his operations, including the alleged auction of his nomination to fill Obama's now-vacant U.S. Senate seat with another Democrat.

Richardson says he has ordered full state cooperation with the feds. Blagojevich has chosen to fight the federal allegations and Democratic demands that he resign or at least not nominate a Senate replacement. Last week he named former Illinois Democratic Atty. Gen. Roland Burris.

As The Ticket noted this morning, the governor created a real problem for Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid by placing him in the awkward position of barring Burris, an experienced African American Democratic officeholder, from taking the seat of a less-experienced black Democrat, Obama, and becoming the only African American in the Senate.

Both Richardson and Blagojevich deny any wrongdoing. In his statement today the New Mexico governor, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination himself, and whose perfectly-timed rejection of Sen. Hillary Clinton's candidacy and endorsement of Obama boosted the Illinois senator's campaign significantly.

Richardson said the investigation would show his innocence but was likely to drag on for weeks or months, affecting the confirmation process and his ability to work in Washington. Not to mention distract the public and media from the desired message of change to believe in. The Blagojevich fight, not so easy for the new administration or Reid to end, is also likely to drag on for weeks or months.
 

alice

Well-known member
loomixguy said:
Richardson is a fake Meskin, just like PEBO is a fake Negro.

The continuing Culture of Corruption.....

Amazing! To think that in this day and age there are actually people like you that have this mindset. Thank God, you dangerous people are in the minority!

Alice
 

jigs

Well-known member
yes, Loomix is a minority..just like me a middle aged white man. we are the ones who must earn the money and pay taxes to feed the leaches of this nation. we are either a minority, or an endangered species!
 

nenmrancher

Well-known member
Speakin as someone who lives in New Mexico and has had to watch the crap that goes with KING BILL, it was just a matter of time before Richardson got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It is well known in this state that if you want a cushy state job and not know anything about it just give ol Bill a big enough cash donation and you can have anything you want. Richardson is nothing more than a first class snake oil sales man.
 

loomixguy

Well-known member
alice said:
loomixguy said:
Richardson is a fake Meskin, just like PEBO is a fake Negro.

The continuing Culture of Corruption.....

Amazing! To think that in this day and age there are actually people like you that have this mindset. Thank God, you dangerous people are in the minority!

Alice

Dangerous? How is telling the truth dangerous? For all intents and purposes I am half Irish, but I don't go around imagining I am a member of the IRA. We will soon get the opportunity to observe first hand just how dangerous the libs and PEBO lovers can truly be.
 

RobertMac

Well-known member
loomixguy said:
How is telling the truth dangerous?
Telling the truth undermines everything the far left believes in!!!!

R2, Sandman may have been a little too harsh for the "cultured left", but the truth is still there...this is an extreme minority group that has been given voice and stature by a sympathetic left leaning news media!!!
 

Sandhusker

Well-known member
I think we had a conversation here about NOW and how they treated Palin. Here you had a strong woman that was very popular in her home state with a chance to be elected to the highest office a woman has ever had in this country and they tore into her like wolves.
 

RobertMac

Well-known member
reader (the Second) said:
RobertMac said:
loomixguy said:
How is telling the truth dangerous?
Telling the truth undermines everything the far left believes in!!!!

R2, Sandman may have been a little too harsh for the "cultured left", but the truth is still there...this is an extreme minority group that has been given voice and stature by a sympathetic left leaning news media!!!

No, no, no RM. This is a group which has/had some extreme leaders which has over a 40 year period wrought important and positive change in the United States. Women are seen as equals, are in many places paid as equals, and certainly have opportunities that they never had previously. In this, NOW and similar groups did a large service to our country in bringing about change which enabled a huge segment of our population to contribute their talents more broadly to the country.

Feminism does not equate to man hating. It does not equate to pro choice. It does not equate to anti religion. You guys are missing the essential mission of feminism which is to allow all human beings the opportunity to achieve their potential and to break cultural stereotypes that prevented this. There are religious feminists, anti abortion feminists, right wing feminists, male feminists, Republican feminists, capitalist feminists, and so on.

You are mistaking the profiles of the more visible and colorful members of NOW with the large and diverse members. You are stereotyping and are repeating pablum being fed to you by radio talk shows.
R2, you make my point...NOW does not represent feminist...if it did, they would have at least been supportive of Sarah Palin and condemned SNL and others in the media that denigrated her! Their platform is the things you point out that feminism is not...NOW is far left extremist!!
 
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