Former Iowa Gov Vilsack to be Ag Sec

[HI54UNI]

Sources: Obama selects Vilsack for ag post
DES MOINES (AP) — President-elect Barack Obama has selected former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary, according to Democratic sources familiar with the selection process said.

Obama will announce the appointment of Vilsack on Wednesday, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection before the announcement.

Vilsack will be the fourth former opponent of Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries to join his new administration. Others include Vice President-elect Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been tapped for secretary of state, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, selected to head the Commerce Department.

http://www.globegazette.com/articles/20 ... 107771.txt

Apparently if you wanted a job in the Obama administration you should've ran against him.

[dbackjon]

Thoughts from Iowa?


Wonder if he and Energy Secretary Chu will battle over Ethanol, which Chu thinks is worthless...

[AZGrizFan]

You sure he's not from Chicago?

[HI54UNI]

Vilsack actually has a pretty interesting story. He was born in Pittsburgh and was given up for adoption. He attended Albany law school where he met is wife Christie, a Mount Pleasant, Iowa native. After graduating they moved back to Mt. Pleasant and he joined his father-in-law's law firm. His political career started when he was appointed mayor after the incumbent mayor was murdered at a city council meeting by a disgruntled citizen. He later was elected as a state senator before being elected governor.

Vilsack was an ok governor. He's was a strong advocate for economic development in the state and was generally pretty moderate in his views although it was partially because the legislature was controlled by the republicans during most of his tenure.

Being from Iowa he will be a strong advocate for farm interests, including ethanol. Sen. Harkin from Iowa is chair of the Senate Ag committee so his confirmation should be pretty smooth. Harkin was whining the other day that Obama wasn't asking Senators for input so this may have been some sort of concession to Harkin. I can also see him pushing for wind energy which is growing greatly in Iowa.