Welcome Back, and Thoughts On Richardson

Welcome back and happy New Year! I hope all of you managed to get a breather sometime in the past couple of weeks. It's going to be a quick start back, I think.

Obviously the biggest news as this week begins is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's decision to withdraw from consideration to be Commerce Secretary. I think there is one lesson here that's applicable to all potential appointees, no matter the level of the appointment, and another point about management in general.

First, did Richardson not see this investigation coming? I find that kind of hard to believe. In this day and age, everyone knows what a tough confirmation process looks like, and it seems unwise to accept an appointment, no matter how flattering such appointment may be, no matter how star-struck you may be in the moment, if you're not absolutely sure you can handle the process. Hillary Clinton seems to be a counter-example of this. She knew her nomination to be Secretary of State would bring increased scrutiny to her husband's fundraising, and they dealt with it. It's basically been a non-story ever since. Similarly, it hasn't been that long since Richardson was tapped. I find it hard to believe that this investigation comes as a total shock to him. So why did he accept in the first place.

But on another note, other than the fact that this is not great for Obama, I'm not sure it's a huge loss. Righting problems with the Census Bureau and revising unpopular scientific review processes is going to take a very smart manager. I'm not sure there was any particular evidence that Richardson was that guy. Sure, he's run a state, but there are a lot of other competent folks with high-level executive experience who could do just as well, and might, with some specific experience, do better. It was never clear why Richardson wanted Commerce, and it was never particularly clear that Commerce needed him, specifically.