The suggestion that Gov. Gregoire could be Obama’s next Secretary of the Interior has turned out to be wrong. Instead, another woman will get the job:
Sally Jewell, a retail executive and outdoor enthusiast, is President Barack Obama’s pick to oversee the national parks and vast energy reserves on public lands as Interior secretary, an administration official said on Wednesday. […]
Her private sector experience, most recently as chief executive of outdoor retailer REI, drew praise from conservationists and some industry groups…
And the Republican reaction to the nomination?
…Jewell’s nomination drew skepticism from some Republicans in Congress.
“I look forward to hearing about the qualifications Ms. Jewell has that make her a suitable candidate to run such an important agency, and how she plans to restore balance to the Interior Department,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Jewell has been a leader in land conservation in the Pacific Northwest, but she worked in the energy and finance sectors early in her career.
(By, “restor[ing] balance.” Murkowski means “increased drilling while opposing laws to cap greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.”)
Gregoire is not out of the running for two other cabinet positions, as was recently pointed out:
Gregoire, who has made energy issues a cornerstone of her gubernatorial tenure, is likely headed for one of three Cabinet-level jobs that are vacant now or will soon become vacant: Energy secretary, Interior secretary, or head of the Environmental Protection Agency. As a former head of Washington state’s Department of Ecology, Gregoire is steeped in experience in energy and environmental issues. Her enthusiastic support for renewable energy has won plaudits from environmentalists, but she’s also known for her ability to speak effectively about the realities of the fossil-fuel economy.
Either remaining position, EPA or energy secretary, seems like a good fit to Gregorie’s experience, strengths, and interests.
My money’s on energy secretary. Gregoire has a long history of doing battle with the Department of Energy over the Hanford clean-up. More recently, the battles have turned into happy agreement, adoring joint statements, and public praise.
That’s the tell.
Well, it would seem that thanks to the Supreme Kangaroos, we’re likely to see more and more empty chairs around the Cabinet table, with more departments’ Monica Goodling-esque Bush hires still infesting the second, third and fourth tiers giving away the store.
If Gregoire becomes Energy or EPA boss, our wingnut friends should thank Mitt Romney and his disdain for the 47-percenters (i.e., retirees, veterans, etc.).
I’d prefer it if Gregoire just retired and moved to Phoenix.
Sally Jewell: Ex Mobil Oil executive. Ex WaMu executive. Current peddler of over-priced, plastic crap from China.
Excuse me while I barf.
I’ve already seen a number of comment threads elsewhere in response to the proposed Jewell appointment. Quite a few of them have been from righties (including our old pal “Piper Scott”) slamming REI for being “overpriced” and “elitist” and extolling the virtues of Outdoor Emporium and Cabellas. Oh, yeah…they also make mention of their preference for those other places because they sell GUUUUNS.
The unlamented Piper Scott claims to be offended by “elitist”?????
Cabellas is every bit as expensive and as as full, if not fuller, of plastic crap from china.
Fitting that The Righties aren’t complaining about Mobil and WaMu being corrupt.
@3 Who cares what you want.
The most odious horse’s butt out there.
I was absent for 3 years here, and upon my return a few months ago I was surprised to see that that pompous windbag had vanished. Whatever did you do to qccomplish it?
@8,
Who cares what YOU want!
What is thing Darryl has for Ms. Gregoire?
Secretary of Energy?????
Succeeding Steve Chu? Lesseee …. we replace a Nobel Laureate as head of a high tech agency with a minor political figure?
Gosh that would be a smart thing for Obama to do!
EPA might make sense … Gr4egoire has admin skills that the EPA could use.
Why not transportation? She is a natural coming from Boeing land and a state with a lot of very real transportation challenges.