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EmailPresident-elect Barack Obama is unlikely to be distracted by several political scandals and messes on the eve of his inauguration. But they will be harmful to the degree that they draw media and public attention from the big public agenda lying in front of us.
Sunday afternoon, New Mexico Gov. and Commerce Secretary-designee Bill Richardson, a 2008 Presidential aspirant in his own right, joined Obama in announcing that he was withdrawing from his Commerce nomination in order to cope with federal corruption charges in his home state. Earlier Sunday The New York Times broke a front-page story disclosing that an upstate New York developer had four years ago donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton's foundation soon after Sen. Hillary Clinton, Obama's Secretary of State nominee, had secured millions in federal assistance for the developer's mall project.
Meantime, former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's designee to succeed Obama as a U.S. Senator, was scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to stake his claim to the seat. Democratic Senate leaders vowed that he would not be seated. Off to the side, speculation mounted as to whether Caroline Kennedy would or would not be appointed to fill the New York Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Clinton. A dispute over the Minnesota Senate recount, apparently headed to the courts, could drag on for weeks.
On a personal level, I feel badly for Richardson, whom I have known since his days as a Senate staff member in the early 1970s and, then, as a young congressman and, eventually, chair of the Hispanic Caucus. After serving as a U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary in the Clinton Administration, Richardson returned home to serve as New Mexico's governor and a 2008 Presidential aspirant. I have no idea about the merits of the charges against Richardson. The outlook does not sound good, as Richardson suggested Sunday that he would continue as governor "for now" but would support his lieutenant governor in the future. It would be a sad ending to an otherwise notable political career.
Changing the political subject is proving more difficult than anyone thought entering a new and promising presidency.
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Comments:
Posted Sun, Jan 4, 1:06 p.m. Inappropriate
So Clinton gets a pass and the minority gets hosed. Typical
Posted Sun, Jan 4, 1:17 p.m. Inappropriate
I have a friend, who is a former trial lawyer and now a journalist, who lives in New Mexico. He told me months ago to be on the lookout for stuff like this from Bill Richardson.
He also tells me, "a poor politician is a poor politician" then he ticks of the New Mexico politicos who are now serving time in Land of Enchantment jails for any number of corruption offenses.
2009 is barely one-half week old, and already the illusions are getting destroyed.
The Piper
Posted Mon, Jan 5, 7:49 a.m. Inappropriate
It will have the devastating impact that Zoe Baird, Linda Chavez and Bernie Kerik did.
Posted Mon, Jan 5, 7:53 a.m. Inappropriate
So which ones of the Baird, Chavez, Kerik trio were sitting Democratic Governors and former Presidential Candidates?
Posted Mon, Jan 5, 1:54 p.m. Inappropriate
I am so tired of the fact our political leaders can't seem to keep their noses clean. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that they've access to all the trappings of power.
Boy, what happens up there at the top? It must be the air. I know you feel bad for Richardson, Mr. Van Dyk--and obviously he didn't just let himself down--but enough is enough and so be it. Whatever the charges, from the way Obama is said to have accepted the governor's resignation without trying to talk him out of it, I think, speaks to the seriousness of the investigation and Richardson's immersion in it. And too bad for all...
-Political
Posted Mon, Jan 5, 10:17 p.m. Inappropriate
More political messes for Obama...
One can only hope.
Posted Thu, Jan 8, 10:40 a.m. Inappropriate
Actually, it appears that Van Dyk may lack any "idea about the merits of charges" against anyone mentioned above. But he sure is good at spreading innuendo. Van Dyk, of course, is very quick to describe all of the above as "political messes for Obama" with absolutely nothing substantive behind it. But spreading rumors is easy and fun to do, especially if you're a person who has never really been comfortable with anyone in the Democratic Party since HHH was defeated in 1968. Pathetic that this drivel is even published.