Monday, January 5, 2009

Richardson Declines Commerce Post

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, President-elect Obama's first choice to be Secretary of Commerce, has declined that offer to deal with a potential scandal in New Mexico. He said he didn't want that situation to distract from the new administration's efforts to deal with the economy.

Richardson is an advocate of private enterprise moving into space, and his appointment to Commerce led some to hope he would fashion a regulatory environment favorable to the NewSpace industry. That hope is gone, at least for the moment. Now, the focus will turn to who Obama picks instead of Richardson.

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