Interior Secretary: Raul Grijalva?

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1 half-Latino isn't enough to "satisfy them."

Latino groups seek voice in Obama admin.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15879.html

Ask Andrew Rivera of the Democratic Latino Organization of Virginia about Latinos in the new administration and he'll rattle off some names.

There's Federico Peña, a top fundraiser for the campaign who is now on the advisory board for the transition and Maryland's Labor Secretary Tom Perez, a newly named member of the working group reviewing the personnel and policies of several agencies.

And what about Cabinet positions, now that Bill Richardson seems to have become a bridesmaid for secretary of State? `

"There is still opportunity for the Obama transition team to name a Latino to head one of the major agencies," Rivera said. "It's too early to tell."

On Election Day, Latinos were key to Obama's electoral landslide, helping to deliver several Western states, Florida and Virginia. The president-elect got 67 percent of the Latino vote nationwide, up almost 10 percentage points from John F. Kerry in 2004, even as the number of Latino voters increased by nearly 3 million.

This week, some 700 people joined in on a conference call with members of Obama's transition team to discuss Latino candidates and priorities.

"Someone was telling me that we are 0 for 15 with major appointments so far, but I have been reassured that we will see some diversity and be satisfied," said Janet Murgia, who leads the National Council of La Raza and has been in touch with top transition officials.

Beyond Bill Richardson – who's now said to be the short list for several Cabinet-level posts, including commerce and interior – a few names are circulating.

Obama has yet to make any formal announcements, but the rampant leaks suggest that no Latinos will be among the big four Cabinet positions – attorney general, and the secretaries of State, Treasury and Defense. Transition spokesman Federico de Jesús said that "people should be a little patient but reassured that there will be diversity at all levels."

"There have been a lot of Latinos under consideration for different positions; they just haven't gotten to the finish line. And every name that comes out, if there is not a Latino, people do look at that and wonder," said John Trasviña, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, whose group, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been working with the transition team to help identify Latino candidates. "But you have to look at the whole lineup. There are pivotal positions in the Cabinet that mean more to our policy priorities than others," he added, pointing to Cabinet and sub-Cabinet level positions in domestic departments like Health and Human Services, Labor and Education.

Patricia Madrid, the former New Mexico attorney general who lost a bid for Congress by a razor-thin margin in 2006 and chaired the Conference of Western Attorneys General, is said to be on the shortlist for secretary of Interior, along with Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado and, again, Richardson, sources said.

Latino advocates said the Labor Department short list includes Linda Chavez-Thompson, longtime AFL-CIO leader and a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and Perez.

Saul Ramirez Jr., who was a HUD deputy secretary in the Clinton administration, is said to be on the shortlist for that department, as is Bronx Borough president Adolfo Carrión Jr.  Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is a candidate to lead the Education Department, as is Susan Castillo, who heads the Oregon Department of Education. Texas Rep. Rubén Hinojosa and California Rep. Hilda Solis are both in the mix to run the Environmental Protection Agency.

[Lunar]

Al probably thinks that would be an overstatement.

But hell, reporters live in the moment and the last two elections were won by a single state.