Abraham Mum on Staying as Bush's Energy Secretary
Date: 12-Nov-04
Country: USA
Author: Tom Doggett
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Donald Evans announced this week they were leaving their posts. There is speculation among energy industry lobbyists that Abraham may be part of more shake-ups in Bush's cabinet.
So far, Abraham has declined clear up the matter. When asked by reporters this week if he planned to stay for Bush's second term, Abraham responded: "I'm not commenting."
Energy Department spokeswoman Jeanne Lopatto said Abraham believes "it is an honor to serve the president." But she would not elaborate on whether Bush still wants him to serve or if Abraham has plans to leave on his own.
Abraham's tenure has been punctuated with record high crude oil and gasoline prices, and some energy experts say he has not done the best job explaining to the public how the administration plans to tackle the country's energy problems.
Some lobbyists have quietly questioned how much say Abraham has in shaping U.S. energy policy, claiming that Vice President Dick Cheney calls most of the shots in the administration on energy issues. The White House says that is not the case.
Congressional sources said if Abraham does leave, a possible replacement is deputy energy secretary Kyle McSlarrow. McSlarrow already runs the day-to-day operations of the department and is liked by lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff.
McSlarrow also serves as the American co-chair of the U.S.-Russia Energy Working Group established by Presidents Bush and Vladimir Putin.
Retiring Democratic Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana is also rumored to be a replacement for Abraham. Breaux is one of the few Senate Democrats to support Bush's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Breaux has said he has not been offered a job in the new Bush cabinet and is not seeking one. Some Congressional sources said Breaux would likely take a job as an energy industry lobbyist where he could make much more money.
Still, Breaux could be an attractive choice because the Senate tends to be more favorable to cabinet nominees who were once a member of the chamber.
That would be helpful to Bush, as the shrinking number of Senate Democrats are expected to criticize Bush's energy policies and give any new energy czar a hard time during the confirmation process.
Other names suggested by Washington insiders as possible candidates for energy secretary are Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute trade group, and U.S. ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza.
