Bill Richardson is Out as Commerce Secretary Nominee

For a Sunday in January, the day proved to be quite interesting.

First of all, and dearest to my Everett Dirksen-Republican heart, came the blessing from Heaven that arrived when it was announced that the governor of my adopted state, Bill Richardson, had withdrawn his name from nomination as the Secretary of Commerce in the upcoming Obama Administration.

It seems that there was a small matter involving an ongoing federal investigation into whether certain contracts with the State of New Mexico were awarded to CDR Financial Products after that company made 5-figure “donations” to political action committees established by Governor Richardson.

It is probably just a coincidence that CDR was awarded contracts worth just under $1.5 million although it had not previously done business with the state.

Ina statement released to the media, Richardson said "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 veracity of some of Governor Richardson’s previous statements, I am not convinced. Amused, perhaps, but certainly not convinced.

As I have admitted in the past, I am not a fan of Bill Richardson. In my opinion, and as the public record has demonstrated, the man is nothing short of a habitual liar who has only two interests in life: Bill Richardson, and how Bill Richardson will benefit from any given situation. To me, he has always come across as eerily similar to the sleazy, opportunistic character of Willie Stark in one of the greatest movies of all time, “All the King’s Men” (the 1949 film and not that travesty released in 2006).

President-elect Barak Obama announced that he was accepting Richardson's request to withdraw the nomination with "deep regret."

“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… I look forward to his future service to our country and in my administration.”

I think it is quite likely that the President-elects “deep regret” is being assuaged by the fact that Richardson’s nomination will not become the second political albatross, of the endangered Rob Blagojevich species, to be hung from his neck prior to his inauguration. In fact, compared to the ongoing controversy involving Blagojevich’s appointment of Obama’s successor, the Richardson story will be “old news” in just under 48 hours.

Defying the Illinois State Legislature, the Illinois Attorney General, the United States Senate, and practically everyone else except God Himself, Blagojevich appointed a career political hack named Roland Burris, whose major qualification appears to be his “ethnic background,” to fill President-elect Obama’s seat in the Senate. This prompted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to vow that the Senate would refuse to seat Burris, although there have been signs that Reid might be softening his opposition pending the outcome of the latest public opinion polls.
As of this writing (January 6, 2009) the situation is shaping up like this:

According to Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution, the Senate is the only judge of the qualifications of its own members. If they don't want to seat Burris, all they have to say is that he's not qualified. Since the Illinois State Attorney General will not certify Burris’ appointment, as required by law, the Senate is well within its right to refuse to seat him. This would also represent the easiest way around the dreaded “race card” issue. Should they be required to seat Burris, or should Harry Reid change his mind a few more times, the Senate still has the option to expel him with a 2/3 majority vote.

(As a historical note, the last time the Senate refused to recognize a member was in 1947 when the newly-elected Republican majority rejected Mississippi Democrat Theodore Bilbo, who had been previously accused (but never indicted or formally charged) of corruption, bribery, and violence directed against black voters, was denied his seat).

In Classical Greek theater, the situation facing the President-elect and the Senate would be an example of irony: no matter what course of action they take, they will suffer at least some loss.

Since both the President-elect and the Senate Majority leader have announced their disapproval of Burris, should they now change their positions they would appear hypocritical and any reasons given for that change would appear less than honest. But, if they maintain their position and refuse to recognize Burris, they (or at least Sen. Reid) would be open to the inevitable charges of racism on the grounds that Burris would become the only African-American in the Senate. And, regardless of the outcome, the President-elect will have to explain his refusal to come to Burris’ assistance.

For a Sunday in January, the day proved to be quite interesting. As they say in the television news business, "Stay tuned for future developments."