President-elect Barack Obama owes Iowa. Period. By giving Obama the victory the Hawkeye State during the caucuses created the political momentum that led to the primary win and, ultimately, the general election. And Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack -- originally a strong Hillary booster, later an Obama surrogate -- may get the dividends of Iowa's new political relevancy. From CQPolitics:
"Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has emerged as the frontrunner for the post of Agriculture secretary in the Obama administration, according to people close to the presidential transition team.
"Vilsack, a Democrat, has a powerful booster in fellow Iowan Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate committee that will hold confirmation hearings for the next secretary. Harkin has been a political backer of the two-term former governor since his election in 1998 and supported Vilsack’s short-lived presidential campaign.
"'Senator Harkin believes that Governor Vilsack would be a great secretary of Agriculture,' said Harkin spokeswoman Kate Cyrul.
"Vilsack also got a thumbs-up from Iowa’s senior senator, Republican Charles E. Grassley.
"'In administrations that I’ve known, it’s always been beneficial for our state to have another Iowan closer to the seat of power,' Grassley said in a statement."
Is there any one that seriously doubts that this isn't going to happen? The powers of the Secretary of Agriculture aren't vast -- or even glamorous -- but for a state with 88,400 farms and 31.5 million acres in farmland, this is seriosu business.
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