Thompson still top contender to head Interior

December 10, 2008

With President-elect Barack Obama reportedly only days away from naming his interior secretary, North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson's name remains in the thick of the discussion.

The Oregonian reported Monday that the rumor mill was “humming” that Obama would pick Thompson for interior secretary, while the Associated Press had only Thompson and Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva on its list of candidates for the position. Speculation seems to be mounting, according to a number of papers, that Obama will name his energy and environmental teams by the end of the week.

Thompson's name first came up as a candidate for interior secretary last month, after a pair of California lawmakers and dozens of sportsmen's groups sent letters to the Obama transition team in support of Thompson, and urging his appointment to head the Department of the Interior.

But, the discussion seems to have taken on a markedly different tone this week.

When contacted by the Times-Standard last month, Thompson's office immediately sent out the following statement: “It's an honor to be recognized by the many groups I've worked with over the years, but no one associated with President-elect Obama has contacted me.”

Contacted by the Times-Standard Tuesday, Thompson's office flatly declined to comment for this story.

Some on the far left ideologically also seem to be taking the Thompson talk seriously, as several high-profile political blogs have spent some pages blasting Thompson for not being environmentally friendly enough, and urging Obama to appoint Grijalva.

The interior secretary is tasked with overseeing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey and the National Parks Service.

Thompson backers have been heartened by comments Obama made in a September interview with Field & Stream magazine that his interior secretary probably would be a sportsman or sportswoman.

”I think that having a head of the Department of Interior who doesn't understand hunting and fishing would be a problem,” the magazine quoted Obama as saying.

Thompson is an avid hunter and angler, while Grijalva reportedly isn't. But, according to Washington Post columnist Al Kamen, both congressmen may have fallen off the short list.

” ... buzz over the weekend centered on Interior, with sources saying Obama may be weighing some dark-horse alternatives to the longtime front-runners, Rep. Raul Grijalva and Rep. Mike Thompson,” Kamen wrote in his column, “In the Loop.” “Grijalva faced some hiccups in recent days and fell off the shortlist, said a source close to the transition. Thompson, meanwhile, has been hit by a barrage of environmentalist attacks in recent days for his ties to industry groups and his love of hunting.”

Thompson has also garnered some recent endorsements for the position.

The Karuk Tribe announced its support of Thompson becoming interior secretary Monday, saying the congressman understands how to bring rural conservationists and urban environmentalists together to create a meaningful and protective natural resource policy.

Kick-starting the Thompson candidacy for the position, California Democratic reps. George Miller and Anna Eshoo sent a letter to Obama's administration urging it to consider Thompson for the position.

”Mike Thompson is immensely qualified to be interior secretary,” Miller said in a statement. “He has a strong base of support in conservation, environmental and outdoors community. He is knowledgeable about issues. And he is a person of great integrity and commitment to public service.”

Thompson, 57, won re-election in November and will start his sixth term in January. He serves on the Ways and Means Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence. He also co-founded the Wine Caucus when he arrived in Congress in 1999.

Thompson won national publicity back in 2005, after holding a press conference at the Department of Interior and dumping more than 500 pounds of dead salmon on its steps to protest low waters in the Klamath River.

According to the California Secretary of State's Office, if Thompson were appointed to any position in Obama's cabinet, the governor would call a special election in California's 1st Congressional District to fill his seat.

 

Thadeus Greenson can be reached at 441-0509 or tgreenson@times-standard.com