Interesting, how that works...

There isn't?

My, must be nice to be able to vacation on some other planet.

If there is evidence then why haven't you produced it?

"" was rewarded with a relatively minor administration post.""

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WHICH??

My, must be nice to be able to vacation on some other planet.

It's my take there's a missing element, and given the look of payola attached to this thing, it seems likley there's at least one element we've not been told of. One that if it came out, wouldn't look very good for either Elton, or Obama.

Dude, there is no evidence of payola. It was out in the open when Bush nominated Pearce and nobody cared at the time.

Frankly, I'd think a State Senator could do better.

Well, better than they're telling us about, anyway. He might not have jumped for that position alone, but was there something else to make it more attractive, seems the question.

It's my take there's a missing element, and given the look of payola attached to this thing, it seems likley there's at least one element we've not been told of. One that if it came out, wouldn't look very good for either Elton, or Obama.

There’s actually less at his Senate web page.

There actually is MORE at his Senate web page. You conveniently omit the fact that he served on a fisheries committee and one on community and regional affairs. He was also head of a trade association on fisheries.

Because the state's economy is dependent on natural resource management, by virtue of long service in the Senate he would likely be conversant with the major land/water issues facing the state as it pertains to federal lands.

Also, as Bernie Mac says, the Director of Alaskan Affairs is not a "high level job in the Interior Department."

Given his career as a veteran state and local lawmaker as well as his experience in the state's natural resource private sector, he would seem exceedingly qualified to act as a liason between the Feds and state government in Alaska.

J-Dawg, were you also upset when Bush appointed Drue Pearce for the same position in 2001 after she pushed the Alaskan legislature the previous year to award Gail Norton a $60,000 consultancy contract? One of Norton's first paybacks after she was appointed as DoI was to get Pearce the Alaska affairs job. This was Blago-style pay-to-play at its worst.

being some political payback

Well, yeah... but my point is this is the kind of position that goes to people who maybe contributed a thousand dollars and did a little volunteering for the campaign -- maybe serve a committee that drafted a position paper, or provided edits on a speech.

Frankly, I'd think a State Senator could do better.

And there's the issue of influence of policy to consider from such 'lower level' positions.

Secretary
Deputy Secretary
Under-Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Deputy Assistant Secretary
Office Director

People with the "Director" titles are often drawn from the permanent civil service, sometimes at the GS-15 level, though I think usually at the SES level. Nevertheless, unless Interior is organized much differently than State or DoD (which I am more familiar with), this is not a "high-level" position at all. Indeed, when I went on the Interior Department page of bureaus and offices (http://interior.gov/bureaus.html), this office did not even warrant a link.

--BF