President Barack Obama

It is being reported that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, age 61, is to be selected by President-elect Barack Obama as his commerce secretary. Richardson would be the first prominent Hispanic to be appointed to the Obama cabinet. As with other Obama appointees, he was an opponent in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary before withdrawing and becoming one of the first former rivals to endorse Barack Obama.

I t is being speculated that the Richardson nomination, along with others, will be announced by Obama some time after the Thanksgiving holiday. Prior to being elected New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson had a prominent role in the Bill Clinton administration, serving as UN ambassador and later as energy secretary. In addition, President Clinton had Bill Richardson travel on several important diplomatic missions, including direct talks with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and with officials from North Korea involving the nuclear issue. Having been close to Bill Clinton, the fact that he threw his support behind Barack Obama in the Democratic primary instead of Hillary Clinton was viewed by many as a turning point in the Obama presidential campaign. Richardson also actively campaigned for Obama against John McCain, especially among Hispanic voters.