New Interior Secretary too

[Donerail]

Ken Salazar, the blunt-spoken lawyer and rancher who took over the scandal-ridden Interior Department at the outset of the Obama administration, said Wednesday that he would step down in March to return to his home in Colorado.

He did not say what he intended to do after leaving Washington, and the White House gave no hint of who might succeed him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/17/us/politics/salazar-to-leave-interior-department.html?_r=0

[Blue3]

Blunt spoken? I don't recall him speaking once in the last 4 years

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Blunt spoken? I don't recall him speaking once in the last 4 years

He's got a mean right cross, though. Does that count?

[technical support]

Should give it to a hispanic. Bill Ricardson

[Benj]

Should give it to a hispanic. Bill Ricardson

1. Why? Tokenism? Certainly giving it to a Native American would make sense (Native affairs are all handled through Interior), but otherwise...

2. Bill Richardson is a corrupt idiot who was already rejected as Commerce Secretary back in 2008.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bill Richardson is a corrupt idiot

There's always something oddly refreshing about that sort of accurate bluntness.

[Paul Kemp]

Should give it to a hispanic. Bill Ricardson

1. Why? Tokenism? Certainly giving it to a Native American would make sense (Native affairs are all handled through Interior), but otherwise...

2. Bill Richardson is a corrupt idiot who was already rejected as Commerce Secretary back in 2008.

Richardson may be one of the most overrated figures in American politics in the past fifteen years.

Anyway, I'm guessing he'll put a woman or minority candidate here to appease the complainers.

[Zioneer]

Salazar was kind of terrible as InteriorSec, way too beholden to ranchers and gas/oil executives. Let's hope that now that Obama doesn't have to run for prez again, he'll appoint someone who aggressively promotes renewables and protecting endangered species.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Should give it to a hispanic. Bill Ricardson

1. Why? Tokenism? Certainly giving it to a Native American would make sense (Native affairs are all handled through Interior), but otherwise...

2. Bill Richardson is a corrupt idiot who was already rejected as Commerce Secretary back in 2008.

Richardson may be one of the most overrated figures in American politics in the past fifteen years.

Anyway, I'm guessing he'll put a woman or minority candidate here to appease the complainers.

I think Richardson is going to be the new Interior Secretary of North Korea.

[Incipimus iterum]

In my View it should be Former Governor of Wyoming Dave Freudenthal.

[justfollowingtheelections]

The 3 main candidates for the job are Christine Gregoire, Jeff Bingaman and Bill Ritter.  They are also considered for the Secretary of Energy and EPA Administrator position.

[Incipimus iterum]

The 3 main candidates for the job are Christine Gregoire, Jeff Bingaman and Bill Ritter.  They are also considered for the Secretary of Energy and EPA Administrator position.

I would go with Jeff Bingaman or Bill Ritter

[TNF]

Bingaman would be a good choice, politically. He doesn't create any potentially problematic Senate vacancies.

[Zioneer]

I don't know much about Bingaman, but looking at his Wiki page and at a few articles, he seems reasonable.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Bingaman would be a pretty good pick.