Hutchinson leaving Homeland Security post

[Judi Lynn]

Sunday, January 23, 2005 · Last updated 10:41 p.m. PT

Hutchinson leaving Homeland Security post

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Asa Hutchinson told a newspaper he plans to resign his post with the Homeland Security Department on Monday after he was passed over twice by the Bush administration to be secretary of the department.

Hutchinson, a former Arkansas congressman and former federal drug czar, is the undersecretary for border and transportation security issues. He said his resignation would be effective March 1 to allow a more seamless transition when secretary-designate Michael Chertoff takes over the department from Tom Ridge.

"It was just a good time to change for me personally and for the department," Hutchinson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
(snip)

Hutchinson, 54, has said that he was disappointed that he wasn't selected to be secretary but is excited about other options, including a possible run for Arkansas governor in 2006. But Hutchinson didn't give any definite political plans for the future.
(snip/...)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&slug=Hutchinson%20Resignation

[KDLarsen]

1. Was in the only one..

.. thinking "How the hell does a Drug Tzar make into a government job"?

[elehhhhna]

2. No. But he has been a catastophic success, and thus is in demand.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. Hutchinson is popular with Arkansas Repukes

but he'll have a lot of work in front of him to be able to take the governor's seat. The current incumbant, Mike Huckabee, has enraged many Arkansans, especially those in the northwest (read Republican stronghold), because of school consolidation and placing taxes on some services. Asa will have to show a bold, different plan for the state and reach out to other areas of Arkansas. He's not a 'fish' candidate, but it will be interesting to see if he decides to go the 'Christian' route to try and win votes (it failed dismally with Jim Holt, who ran against Blanche Lincoln on a 'Christian' platform-even had the fish symbol on his campaign signs).

[Cooley Hurd]

4. It must suck to appear to be more incompetent...

...than Tom Ridge.

Asa's an Asahole, anyway. G'bye!

[MSgt213]

8. I think that Asa may be an asshole, but he apparently has been at least

attempting to do his job, which makes him totally unsuitable for the Bush administration. Remember only the truely robotic and incompetent rise in this administration. If you get fired it means you showed some back bone at a meeting or two.

[dbt]

5. Good Riddance To A Robot!

Hell, this ying-yang thought lying about a blowjob was a Grave Constitutional Crisis. He goose-stepped into the Senate chambers with the other "Impeachment Managers" when he knew the "case" was DOA. Way before we were saddled with bu$h, A$a was the one would could never wipe the smirk off his alleged face when talking about serious things.

Spare us from having yet another fool run for Governor. Better yet, spare us from another one being elected!

:spank:
dbt
Friendship AR
Population 206, not counting dogs.

[Tony_Illinois]

7. You are so right about this slime-ball.

He is so phony and without integrity that he deserves everything that comes his way. The karma train always makes a round trip--and maybe it's stopping at his station right now.

[Pepperbelly]

6. I bet the bob-jones bastard wants to run for governor. nt

[DFWJock]

9. Asa

Wal-Mart is always looking for good employees.

[jmcgowanjm]

10. The Arkansas Mafia couldn't come thru for Asa

I guess he didn't know where enough skeletons
were buried.

Asa's comin' back to Arkansas, But like a couple
of posts here, I think he's going to be sidelined
into some nice cushy backwater.

Arkansas is under tremendous pressure
to come up with $400 million to kickstart
school (courtmandated) reconstruction,
both physically and administratively.

Then $50 million/year into the foreseeable
future. Sunday article I read said Boyd Gaming
(Sam's Town) told certain pols where they
could get that $.

Unless Asa can get his backer-WalMart-to
come up with that amount, he's thru.

[oneighty]

11. Asa

passed his level of competence long ago. It is likely why he was passed over.

Seems to me.

[MADem]

12. Another used and abused Republican

An idiot, to be sure, but you have to wonder how much he is seething over not getting the nod, especially after the KERIK fiasco. You could almost see why weecowboy would want a "get" like Kerik, because his positives to those who knew nothing about his sleazy professional and personal life appeared fabulous on the surface, but once Bernie went down in flames, the safe choice would have been an insider.

What does this mean? Is there more going on at that foolish DHS than the lamestream media is telling us? It's like a shake-up, a la CIA...Asa should sit his ass down with a publisher--maybe Paul O'Neill can recommend one.

[jmcgowanjm]

13. That's right, passed over not once, but twice

Get the message?

The political clout of Torricelli/Chertoff/NJ
trumps Hutchinson/WalMart/Arkansas

Also a slap at Fundies-So far I haven't seen
any goodies in their basket

[Fovea]

14. He would have been a disaster

for HSA. Sure, he was great at busting kids and sick old people for pot, and he was a great little partisan attack dog for Scaife, but he reached his apex in the Clinton impeachment playing a sinister ass-clown.

His 15mins were over in 2000.