Community | January 04, 2009 | 49 comments

Bill Richardson to withdraw from Obama cabinet

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28493919/

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Future_America
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 Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.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. "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."

Obama said Sunday he accepted Richardson's decision to withdraw with 'deep regret.'

"Governor Richardson is an outstanding public servant and would have brought to the job of Commerce Secretary and our economic team great insights accumulated through an extraordinary career in federal and state office," Obama said.

Richardson, 61, was United Nations ambassador and energy secretary during the Clinton administration, and he is in his second term as New Mexico's governor. He also served seven terms in the House of Representatives.

If he had been confirmed by the Senate as secretary of Commerce, he would have taken over a sprawling department that oversees the National Weather Service, the Census Bureau, economic development programs and more.

One of the nation's most prominent Hispanic politicians, Richardson had pledged at the time of his nomination — in English and Spanish — to work to renew the economy.
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49 comments // Bill Richardson to withdraw from Obama cabinet

  • J_Jammer
  • vernajr
    • 0
      vernajr  

    • That is too bad. I really like Richardson however he did the right thing by stepping down. I respect him for that. Also I think he is good looking.

    • 3 years ago
  • WhiteNoise
    • 0
      WhiteNoise  
    • Image

    • DA NITTY GRITTY...

      Bill Richardson - Kissinger-American
      http://www.gregpalast.com/bill-richardson-kissinger-american/#more-2176

      Bill Richardson is out: Caught with his hand, if not exactly in the cookie jar, at least you could say his sticky finger were near it. I'm not surprised.

      For years I've been investigating the second-most corrupt state in the USA (after Alaska). I like to check in on the enchanted state with my bud Santiago Juárez.

      I knew it was not a polite question, but it was really bugging me, so I asked HIM, “Exactly how does a Mexican get the name William Richardson?”

      Governor Richardson’s dad, Santiago explained, was a Citibank executive assigned to Mexico City. There he met Governor Bill’s mom, and—milagro!—a Mexican-American was born. Richardson gets big mileage out of his mother’s heritage, and that makes him, legitimately, a Mexican-American, a politically useful designation. But it’s just as legitimate to say that Richardson is a Citibank-American.

      But Governor Richardson is more than that. Between leaving Bill Clinton’s cabinet where he was Secretary of Energy and grabbing a Hispanic-district seat in Congress, Richardson became a partner in (Henry) Kissinger and Associates. That would make Richardson a Kissinger-American as well.

      Richardson, Ready for Takeoff

      What about all those suspect spoiled votes in Hispanic and Indian precincts stuck inside the machines? Why didn’t this Mexican-American Democrat ask for a recount? It didn’t just slip Richardson’s little mind: He actively did everything in his power to stopa recount. I was told that it was Richardson himself who encouraged Secretary of State Vigil-Giron to reject the $114,000 payment from pissed-off Democrats and the Green Party. The Governor was too busy to speak with me about this.

      Halting the 2004 recount wasn’t enough for Governor Bill, however. He demanded the legislature pass a “reform” law that would require anyone wanting a recount of a suspicious vote to put up a bond of over one million dollars. As a result, “free and fair elections” are now effectively outlawed in New Mexico. You can have a choice of a “free” election or a “fair” election, but not both. Want fair? Then you have to pay a million to recheck the ballots. In other words, it’s against the law to buy votes, but in New Mexico not against the law to buy the vote count.

      On his phony reform law, Richardson was called out by a fellow Democrat, State Senator Linda Lopez—an act of indiscreet defiance that would not be forgotten by the Governor’s circle.

      The centerpiece of the law signed by the Governor: Ms. Fox-Young’s proposal to require photo ID for new voters. Maybe the former Cabinet Secretary and United Nations Ambassador Richardson couldn’t imagine that photo IDs would be a problem for some voters. After all, Mexican-Americans in Little Texas may have trouble producing acceptable IDs, but it’s no problem at all for a Kissinger-American like Governor Richardson. The Governor and Jimmy Carter both have passports, they have credit cards and they have chauffeurs who will vouch for them.

      Richardson wouldn’t speak with me about the 2004 vote fiasco. Instead, he busied himself with his space program. He announced the state would chip in $200 million to build a “spaceport” to land private rocket ships that will be launched beginning in 2009 by Richard Branson, the British billionaire. Passengers have already bought tickets for $200,000 each (round trip, they hope).

    • 3 years ago
  • ZomOn
    • 0
      ZomOn  

    • Sir Bill, not to take anything away from the seriousness of your situation or the time in which you've reflected upon the matter at hand which has placed you on a different path, yet understandably in this 21st Century with the ability to multitask, is it not in your power to continue to oversee and designate and or appoint appropriately persons who could help you manage your states crisis and at the same time work towards fulfilling a post which your education,experience and hard work has deemed you worthy? If the task is too difficult to handle, in all respect we send our blessings and prayers to you and your venture. As the history books are being written at this very moment, a most historic time in all of our lives, as we can all see from the vote of the people, sometimes everyone needs a little help and helping hands can do such wonders. Time to shine in '09 w/ Peace in 2010

    • 3 years ago
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  
    • ZomOn:

      Fuck him, he's scum. Hillary should be President. Richardson only helped facilitate the fraud perpetrated upon America that is Barack Obama in hopes of personal gain.

    • 3 years ago
  • ZomOn
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  

    • It's very simple. He is Governor of New Mexico. In a free fair Democratic primary his constituency, the people that put him into office to speak for them, the people of New Mexico chose Hillary Clinton to be their President. Their Governor, a super delegate, chose to ignore their decision and endorse Obama. That is not Democracy. That is not how a Democracy is supposed to work. He is a scumbag.

    • 3 years ago
  • alfitude
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  
    • JohnA:

      In a Democracy, you are elected to do the will of the people who elected you. He quite clearly did not. There is no question. As a private citizen, he could have voted for Obama, that's fine, although ungrateful and selfish. As Governor and super delegate, he was duty bound to follow the will of the people.

    • 3 years ago
  • edbr
  • NotFooled
  • RainDragon
    • 0
      RainDragon  

    • I'm sorry to hear this. I think Bill's doing the right thing to step aside while he wrangles with this investigation; it's really important that the Obama administration doesn't add nomination battles to its already full plate. But, I'm disappointed. I was happy that our governor was going to be able to help out on a national scale.

    • 3 years ago
  • clownpuncher
  • FallenMorgan
  • Ihatethemall
  • middle_east
    • 0
      middle_east  

    • I feel like this has an interesting parallel to Blogojevich appointing Roland Burris.

      Richardson did the appropriate thing by stepping down from his position to save face for the rest of the to-be Obama Administration, and Roland Burris accepted the nomination regardless of the heavy controversy surrounding Blogojevich. What Roland Burris should have done is at least temporarily reject the nomination until Blogojevich's name is cleared.

    • 3 years ago
  • clownpuncher
  • oneofthree
    • 0
      oneofthree  

    • i voted richardson in the primaries. it's too bad politics got in the way of a good man taking part in an already historic administration.

    • 3 years ago
  • joshuaheller
  • podman12
    • 0
      podman12  

    • This makes me sad, I really liked Bill Richardson. He seemed like a solid guy all around. Maybe he had some side money deals, but I felt through his primary speeches that he was a good guy. I was looking forward to his contributions to the Obama cabinet.

    • 3 years ago
  • chicaalmodovar
    • 0
      chicaalmodovar  

    • I think it was the best decision as well. If these investigations currently taking place somehow turn out to compromise Richardson's character, or turn into some sort of scandal, it is best for Obama to stay completely away from that area and focus on problems much more relevant than corporate corruption. Not that it doesn't represent a serious issue, but I mean, what else is new there?

    • 3 years ago
  • huntre
    • 0
      huntre  

    • With the G.O.P. having nothing left to do but be an obstacle to all that is Obama, this was a very wise decision.

    • 3 years ago
  • okinawanmajik
    • 0
      okinawanmajik  

    • sorry bro, one more year! but i promise ill leave..dont you worry about that!!! but if you would like to take a collection, il leave early!!! besides my last 6 months will be out of the country anyways...so you will have full access to all the idiots in america! have fun doing down the drain! ill be ballin in japan!

    • 3 years ago
  • okinawanmajik
    • 0
      okinawanmajik  

    • i think it was the clintons that started this for him coming to his senses! all i know is i dont really care! Im leaving the country to all you americans....so you deal with it.

      dont wanna pay your taxes, salute your flag, lie and say i support the troops, any of that! except laugh at your sorry ass soccer teams!!

    • 3 years ago
  • okinawanmajik
  • Ihatethemall
  • NotFooled
  • kennymotown
    • 0
      kennymotown  

    • Richardson is a fine man and would have made a fine commerce secretary. Corrupt governors? thats pretty funny, the last time I checked Obama has steered clear of Blogo and has no affiliations with the governor.

    • 3 years ago
  • JohnA
  • Ihatethemall
  • clownpuncher
  • edbr
  • Ihatethemall
  • edbr
  • hammernails
  • iameam
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  
    • iameam:

      For what he did to Hillary during the primaries. He would be nothing if not for Bill Clinton. It was Bill Clinton that gave Bill Richardson that highly regarded resume we heard so much about in the campaign. But after he dropped out, even though Hillary won the Democratic primary in his state New Mexico, he endorsed Obama. He deserves everything he gets, the ingrate.

    • 3 years ago
  • broo
  • JohnA
  • Ihatethemall
  • edbr
    • 0
      edbr  
    • iameam:

      we've learned the pitfalls of cronyism over the past 8 years.

      i'm sure bill clinton is happy that someone whose career he helped along is making his way in politics, even though gov. richardson didn't support hillary.

      for him to pick his best buddy because she's his buddy instead of choosing strictly on the basis of qualification is selling himself, his state, and our country short.

      there's no basis for the backstabber comment, unless he actually did backstab them. i don't think his support for obama is backstabbing anyone.

    • 3 years ago
  • JohnA
  • randomprojection
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  
    • iameam:

      When you are an elected official, you are duty bound to uphold the will of your constituiency. The people of New Mexico voted for Hillary in the free fair Democratic primary. He as a superdelegate took it upon himself to overrule their decision. That alone makes him a scumbag, let alone what all Bill Clinton had done for him.

    • 3 years ago
  • edbr
    • 0
      edbr  
    • iameam:

      no, he did not undermine the people's vote.

      it's not like his endorsement, even as a superdelegate, overruled the votes of the people.

      lastly, obama won the democratic primary over hillary, even had he not had new mexico's support.

    • 3 years ago
  • JohnA
    • 0
      JohnA  

    • Obama seems to have a thing for corrupt Governors. See ya, Judas. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, you ungrateful backstabber.

    • 3 years ago
  • edbr
    • 0
      edbr  
    • JohnA:

      obama clearly had nothing to do with blagojevich, nor did he have anything to do with the 'business dealings' of gov. richardson or new mexico.

      so how can you claim he's associated with corrupt governors?

      and lastly, i would expect bill clinton to be proud that someone whose career he helped along is standing up for what he believes in, even though that support wasn't for hillary. remember, playing the best friend game hasn't worked for our administration for the past 8 years, so why would it be appropriate now?

    • 3 years ago
  • keithponder
  • JohnA
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