Monday, June 11, 2007

Roger Williams Quitting His SecState Job? Why Now?

Straighten me out here. Roger Williams was appointed by Governor Perry to the office of Secretary of State in late 2004, and then Perry was re-elected by 39% of Texans who voted in the November 2006 election. That gives Williams a steady job until at least 2010. Why the early bailout?

According to the Austin American-Statesman article by W. Gardner Selby, Williams is looking to be elected to a statewide office. The article pointed out that a SecState position, which is appointed, not elected, is often a springboard for an elected position.

Williams has made no secret of the fact that he wishes to be a US Senator, and the article goes that if Kay Bailey Hutchison is going to have a try at the Governor’s office in 2010, Williams would want to try for her Senate seat.

But that’s 3 years down the road. That’s a lot of time for Texans to forget who Roger Williams is (or, more to the point, was).

There must be some other statewide office that he can run for in 2008, right? Wrong. All the executive or statewide offices are voted on in non-presidential even numbered years.

So we come back around to the original question, why now? So he can go back to Weatherford and sell more cars and trucks?

I don’t know about you, but I think something’s afoot here, and I don’t mean 12 inches. Wouldn’t it be ever so convenient that John Cornyn gets appointed to replace Alberto Gonzales who decides to resign rather than put the Bush Administration through all the ordeals of the Senate’s “No Confidence Vote”? He can’t carry on the business of the Attorney General anymore so for the good of the Bush Administration he resigns? Cornyn takes his spot, Perry appoints Williams to serve out Cornyn’s term (and Williams incidentally decides to run for re-election in ‘08).

Bait and switch.

I’ve been known to be wrong before, but I thought that I’d just throw that out as a possibility.

3 comments:

TexasSusan said...

Day-um, Hal, that's some smart thinking.

I'll bet a dollar that you're right.

Anonymous said...

Hal,
I agree, this administration, both here and in DC, is about as sneaky as a theif in a blackout. What are our chances of a Dem candidate being elected Senator?

Anonymous said...

When Lloyd Bentsen resigned to be Clinton's Treasury Secretary Ann Richards put Democrat Bob Kruger (?) in his place temporarilly, but then there was a Special Election almost at once with a buncha wannabees in it. Krueger and Kay Bailey got into the runoff, with Bailey winning. Musta been 93 or 94.

Dontcha remember Molly Ivins lamenting, "Oh Annie, Annie, couldn't you do better than BOB KRUEGER?"

The same thing might happen to this guy--so sharp he cuts himself.