This article has been updated.
Gov. Bill Richardson continues to say little about repeated chatter regarding what job, if any, he’ll hold in the Obama administration.
And though sources continue to insist to me and others that Richardson has a meeting set with Obama or Obama staffers in Chicago later this month to discuss a potential role in the administration, Richardson staffer Pahl Shipley says no such meeting exists.
Despite that, the talk won’t die down, and there’s no reason it should: Richardson has a penchant for insisting nothing is going on until a big announcement is ready to be made. For example, he continued to insist he loved his job as New Mexico governor and would finish out his term until he was ready to formally announce his presidential exploratory committee early last year.
For the most part, that’s what Richardson has been saying when asked about a job in the Obama administration: that he loves his current job. But he’s also been uncharacteristically silent in recent days.
“I’m happy where I am and in continuing my work as governor,” Richardson said at a recent news conference in Santa Fe, according to the New Mexico Independent. Pressed, he added, “I am very happy. I don’t want to comment more. I don’t want to comment anymore. Why do you guys keep asking me this?”
Because we don’t believe you. If you’re not interested, why did you just happen to shave your beard at the moment everyone who wants a job from Barack Obama began lobbying for one?
Who doesn’t believe that, if offered the right job, Richardson wouldn’t give Diane Denish a promotion? There’s little doubt he would love to be secretary of state, but rumors are swirling about other potential jobs, including commerce secretary, head of the World Bank, ambassador to China and special envoy to Latin America.
After having been energy secretary, U.N. ambassador and a serious presidential candidate, would Richardson take a job like ambassador to one nation, even if it is the country with the second-largest economy in the world?
Who knows? The governor is not answering questions about that.
But the chatter centers primarily on secretary of state. The Politico lists Richardson as one of three candidates at the top of Obama’s list for the job. The others are John Kerry and Richard Holbrooke. Meanwhile, The Associated Press lists Richardson as one of four candidates Democratic officials say are up for the job, along with Kerry, Richard Lugar and Chuck Hagel.
Wonkette, the D.C. gossip rag that should never be taken seriously but is still sometimes funny, says Richardson is “obviously” a better choice than Kerry. Click here to find out why.
Update, 10:40 a.m.
Denish, for her part, says she’s ready for anything.
“The job of the lieutenant governor is to be ready to take over in case the governor leaves or is unable to serve,” she said. “I’m working on preparing for the 60-day session with aggressive consumer lending proposals and additional pushes for early learning opportunities, and paying attention to budget proposals and revenue projections.”
Update, 1:10 p.m.
News broke today that Howard Dean is not going to seek a second four-year term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and the Washington Post blog The Fix already has Richardson listed as one of four on the “early list” of potential replacements.
Update, 1:15 p.m.
Here’s the comment on the DNC chairman speculation from Shipley:
“The governor has previously said he has zero interest in that,” he said.