LineDoggie
02-25-2009, 12:45 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obama_commerce
Obama chooses Locke to run Commerce Department
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama introduced former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his nominee for Commerce secretary Wednesday, trying a third time to fill a key Cabinet post for a country in recession.
"I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times. But I'm a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right. And Gary is the right man for this job," Obama said, standing with the fellow Democrat in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House.
Locke, 59, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms in Washington from 1997 to 2005. He currently works for the Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine on issues involving China, energy and governmental relations.
Even after Obama made Locke's selection official, his Cabinet still won't be complete.
He still does not have a health and human services secretary; former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for that post amid a tax controversy. Among those under consideration to replace him is Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
Locke still must get through Senate confirmation hearings to assume the post, and there are a number of issues over which he may face questions.
He was briefly linked to the scandal over foreign contributions to President Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign. Locke denied any wrongdoing, and he subsequently returned some checks tied to people implicated in the matter.
In December 1997, Locke's political committee was fined a maximum $2,500 by state regulators after it admitted breaking campaign finance laws during two out-of-state fundraisers in 1996.
And in March 1998, state investigators cleared Locke of wrongdoing following complaints that he unlawfully took $10,000 in campaign contributions from members of a Buddhist church.
Now for those who havent yet heard, this involvement was with John Huang, the Hillary Bundler, the Chinese Temple fundraising scandals of the Clinton/Gore era
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970114&slug=2518635
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/02/gary_locke_another_obama_mispi.php
As the presumptive Secretary of Commerce, former Gov. and King County exec Gary Locke first has to pass the pre-announcement stage, the post-announcement stage, and, finally, confirmation. There is the added stress factor that Obama's two prior choices (http://www.slate.com/id/2211240/) for the cabinet seat flamed out, so he's got to be squeaky clean. The Seattle Times today says he's exactly that, (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008778508_locke24m.html) so it must be true.
Of course, there was that memory loss and all those "I don't recall . . . I don't remember" (http://www.seattleweekly.com/1998-09-02/news/the-grilling-of-gary-locke)statements to Congressional investigators in 1999, probing his gubernatorial campaign fund-raising efforts;
the astonishing $3.2 billion tax break he gave to Boeing while never disclosing he paid $715,000 to - and relied on the advice of - Boeing's own private consultant (http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-03-17/news/the-state-s-two-timing-consultant)and outside auditor for advice;
and those favors for his brother-in-law (http://www.seattleweekly.com/2002-07-10/news/clean-harbor) (who lived in the governor's mansion), including a tax break for his relative's company, personal intervention in a company dispute, and Locke's signature on a federal loan application for the company.
Other than that, yes, squeaky clean."
A regular gang who couldnt shoot straight
Obama chooses Locke to run Commerce Department
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama introduced former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his nominee for Commerce secretary Wednesday, trying a third time to fill a key Cabinet post for a country in recession.
"I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times. But I'm a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right. And Gary is the right man for this job," Obama said, standing with the fellow Democrat in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House.
Locke, 59, was the nation's first Chinese-American governor, serving two terms in Washington from 1997 to 2005. He currently works for the Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright Tremaine on issues involving China, energy and governmental relations.
Even after Obama made Locke's selection official, his Cabinet still won't be complete.
He still does not have a health and human services secretary; former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for that post amid a tax controversy. Among those under consideration to replace him is Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
Locke still must get through Senate confirmation hearings to assume the post, and there are a number of issues over which he may face questions.
He was briefly linked to the scandal over foreign contributions to President Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign. Locke denied any wrongdoing, and he subsequently returned some checks tied to people implicated in the matter.
In December 1997, Locke's political committee was fined a maximum $2,500 by state regulators after it admitted breaking campaign finance laws during two out-of-state fundraisers in 1996.
And in March 1998, state investigators cleared Locke of wrongdoing following complaints that he unlawfully took $10,000 in campaign contributions from members of a Buddhist church.
Now for those who havent yet heard, this involvement was with John Huang, the Hillary Bundler, the Chinese Temple fundraising scandals of the Clinton/Gore era
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970114&slug=2518635
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2009/02/gary_locke_another_obama_mispi.php
As the presumptive Secretary of Commerce, former Gov. and King County exec Gary Locke first has to pass the pre-announcement stage, the post-announcement stage, and, finally, confirmation. There is the added stress factor that Obama's two prior choices (http://www.slate.com/id/2211240/) for the cabinet seat flamed out, so he's got to be squeaky clean. The Seattle Times today says he's exactly that, (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008778508_locke24m.html) so it must be true.
Of course, there was that memory loss and all those "I don't recall . . . I don't remember" (http://www.seattleweekly.com/1998-09-02/news/the-grilling-of-gary-locke)statements to Congressional investigators in 1999, probing his gubernatorial campaign fund-raising efforts;
the astonishing $3.2 billion tax break he gave to Boeing while never disclosing he paid $715,000 to - and relied on the advice of - Boeing's own private consultant (http://www.seattleweekly.com/2004-03-17/news/the-state-s-two-timing-consultant)and outside auditor for advice;
and those favors for his brother-in-law (http://www.seattleweekly.com/2002-07-10/news/clean-harbor) (who lived in the governor's mansion), including a tax break for his relative's company, personal intervention in a company dispute, and Locke's signature on a federal loan application for the company.
Other than that, yes, squeaky clean."
A regular gang who couldnt shoot straight