There are a lot of Colorado names being thrown out there for appointments in President-elect Barack Obama's administration, and the rampant speculation about political appointees gives us junkies plenty to talk about over beers at happy hour.
RitterFTS File Photo
So far, U.S. Rep. John Salazar is under consideration for Secretary of Agriculture. His brother, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar was mentioned as a potential Supreme Court Justice. And Newsweek columnist and senior editor Jonathan Alter bets Denver Public School Superintendent Michael Bennet will be named Secretary of Education.
Now a well placed D.C. source tells us that our very own Gov. Bill Ritter is being considered as a possible candidate for the ambassadorship to the Vatican. However, his spokesman Evan Dreyer tells us in an email, in no uncertain terms, that it is just a rumor and “not true.”
Fair enough, but we really like the thought. The appointment would also give the increasingly unpopular Ritter a convenient out from having to face re-election in 2010. Ritter’s Catholic beliefs, particularly his stance as a pro-lifer, were an issue for a short time in 2006 as more socially liberal Democrats questioned his credentials. This would be the second time in the last decade a Coloradan would have served in this position. Jim Nicholson was the U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican from Sept. 2001 to Jan. 2005 under President George W. Bush.