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| Locke's China work complicates bid for commerce secretary | |||
| 2009-02-26 | |||
| President Barack Obama on Wednesday tried for the third time to fill the vacant commerce secretary position, tapping former Washington Gov. Gary Locke for a Cabinet post that two previous nominees have backed away from. But Lockes post-gubernatorial efforts to drum up business for an array of companies in the rapidly expanding Chinese market may require steps to reconcile with the administrations ethics policy.
At a late morning press conference, Obama called Locke "the right man for this job" and asserted Lockes background equips him to be "a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness, and an influential ambassador for American industry who will help us do everything we can -- especially now -- to promote it around the world." ...and that's why he's my third choice.
The problem is that Locke, a partner in an international law firms China division, has advocated for Microsoft, Starbucks, and banking, timber and shipping interests in recent years, raising potential conflicts for him as head of a department charged with promoting U.S. trade around the globe. One of Obamas first acts as president was to sign an executive order barring executive branch officials from working on issues "directly and substantially related" to their former clients or employers for two years.
Software piracy issues would rank among them. Microsoft and other software developers have lobbied both the U.S. and Chinese governments to crack down on profit-draining practice. On a similar front, Starbucks recently won a trademark lawsuit against a Chinese company using its logo. An administration official brushed off questions about what steps, if any, would be necessary to ensure Locke complied with Obamas ethics policy. Instead, the official said that Locke didnt act as a lawyer for the companies named in this story, with the exception of Microsoft. The other companies likely were clients of Lockes law firm, Davis Wright Tremaine, suggested the official, who did not respond to requests to release a full list of the clients Locke represented in the last two years. | |||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 The problem is that Locke, a partner in an international law firms China division, has advocated for Microsoft, Starbucks, and banking, timber and shipping interests in recent years, raising potential conflicts for him as head of a department charged with promoting U.S. trade around the globe. The fact that he worked for American interests in China, instead of Chinese interests in America, would seem to be a plus. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2009-02-26 20:08 |
| #8 So now we are judging people by the hotness of their spouse? (But she is damn cute :) As I recall Locke at one time went to tour the schools in China to see 'what we can learn from them'. At a different time they discovered bats in the attic of the Governor's mansion. (talk about bats in the belfry...). My impression is that Locke isn't quite as bad as some of the Pols around here in the Peoples Republic - like Ron Sims. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-02-26 12:26 |
| #7 That be her! But only a full length photo will do her justice. |
| Posted by: Dogsbody 2009-02-26 12:01 |
| #6 somebody named Kushibo has a pic on his blog that may be Locke's wife. |
| Posted by: mhw 2009-02-26 11:26 |
| #5 You can't say "a hot looking wife" without a pic. |
| Posted by: bman 2009-02-26 10:55 |
| #4 Sorry people, the last line should read, He also has a hot looking wife. As much as I admire M Malkin, a tough woman indeed, she has dredged up a bunch of crud that was hashed and rehashed by the local press and never went anywhere. I would suggest that if she wants to work over a WA politician she should fixate on that lowlife traitor Jim McDermott(D WA). If she wants to catch a pol stealing a red hot stove, I suggest she keep a eye on Ron Sims (D WA), from Seattle. I think he was recently appointed to a job at HUD. |
| Posted by: Dogsbody 2009-02-26 02:50 |
| #3 Discloser: I live in Olympia, WA. I have a close relationship with people who know and worked with Locke. I am not a Dem. I have never worked for the State or Feds except as a lowly US Navy sailor. Locke is by all reports a amazing brainiac and a man that most people would call a overachiever. He is, of course, a social liberal though not a ideologue. He could also be described as a fiscal realist, perhaps not a fiscal conservative but he can identify waste and within the limits of our screwed up system, he will try to improve things. Several people I know and trust feel he is as clean as its possible to be in our political system. About China: Here in WA, trade with the Pacific Rim is very important, it's also important to the US as a whole. Even though he can't speak chinese, being about 110% assimilated, he is well known throughout the Rim area. He has lot of experience with the high tech industry here in WA. This is not a negative when we need to export ourselves out of this hole we are in. In my opinion, Obama has blundered into a wise choice for the US. Extra credit! I have not seen a recent photo but he also a hot looking wife. |
| Posted by: Dogsbody 2009-02-26 01:42 |
| #2 Michelle Malkin was a reporter in the Seattle area and has the skinny on this guy. http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/24/and-yet-more-reasons-gary-locke-is-another-obama-mispick/ |
| Posted by: tipover 2009-02-26 01:22 |
| #1 How bad would it be were the position not filled for a few years? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-26 00:41 |