CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday he is well on his way to making his White House and Cabinet the most diverse in history, naming New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be Commerce Secretary and insisting the position will be vital to his economic team.
Mr. Obama said Mr. Richardson, who will need to resign his governorship once confirmed, will be “a leading economic diplomat for America.”
“He understands that the success of today’s business in Detroit or Columbus often depends on whether it can sell products in places like Santiago or Shanghai,” the Democrat said. “And he knows that America’s reputation in the world is critical not just to our security but to our prosperity, that when the citizens of the world respect America’s leadership, they are more likely to buy America’s products.”
Mr. Obama said his team will measure economic progress by the creation of good jobs and growing family incomes.
“Boosting commerce between states and nations is not just a path to solvency and growth; it’s the only path,” Mr. Richardson said, promising he would also focus on a “new frontier of energy independence and clean energy jobs.”
“We will create technologies the world is seeking, while creating millions of new jobs that can never be outsourced. We will revitalize our nation’s historic strength in manufacturing, while restoring our position of respect in the world,” he said.
A reporter from Telemundo in Chicago pressed Mr. Obama about Hispanics who feel Mr. Richardson was slighted since he was not chosen for Secretary of State.
“Commerce Secretary is a pretty good job,” Mr. Obama said, to laughter.
“Bill Richardson has been selected because he is the best person for that job,” he said. “The notion that somehow the commerce secretary is not going to be central to everything we do is fundamentally mistaken.”
Mr. Obama added that he has only named half his Cabinet.
“I think that when people look back and see the entire slate, what they will say is — not only in terms of my Cabinet, but in terms of — but in terms of my White House staff — I think people are going to say, this is one of the most diverse Cabinets and White House staffs of all time,” he said.
So far, Mr. Obama has chosen diverse members for his team, including Eric Holder to be the first black attorney general and several prominent black and Latino White House staffers.
He has chosen three women - Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to lead the Homeland Security Department and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations - for his Cabinet so far.
Mr. Obama said he believes there is”no contradiction between diversity and excellence. I’m looking for the best people, first and foremost, to serve the American people. It just so happens that Bill Richardson is one of those people.”
The president-elect praised Mr. Richardson, who endorsed him early in the primary process, as a “great friend” who possesses “a leadership style all his own.”
He noted Mr. Richardson’s “two tours of duty” in the Clinton administration as Energy Secretary and as ambassador to the United Nations. He also served as a member of Congress.
Mr. Richardson made brief remarks in Spanish, talking about uniting the country and thanking Hispanic voters for overwhelmingly choosing Mr. Obama on Election Day.
When he was nominated to lead the Department of Energy in June 1998, he did the same. Alda Avarez also spoke in Spanish when nominated to be the head of the Small Business Administration in 1996.
Mr. Obama has been learning Spanish, and delivered a full campaign ad in Spanish earlier this year.
Mr. Obama said he was convinced after his 2-year campaign that the United States has “everything we need to renew our economy.”
“We’ve got the ingenuity, the technology, the skill and commitment, we just need to put it to work,” he said.
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