Changewatch 6.0: The Richardson Effect

According to a Fox News report, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name as possible nominee for Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration pending a federal grand jury investigation into whether he exchanged government contracts for contributions to three Richardson political committees.

Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh told FOX News that with the cloud lingering over the Obama transition because of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s alleged attempts to sell Obama’s vacated Senate seat, the Richardson nomination would have been another unwanted distraction.

Richardson “was going to have a very difficult time getting through this nomination,”  Marsh said. “People really haven’t looked at the Richardson situation and the more they looked at it, the more they realized” confirmation was going to be a problem. 

The Obama Administration – so far – has seen quite a bit of scandal, with the most prominent being Obama’s potential connections to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Change? Nope. More of the same.