The rumors had Ohio Gov. Bob Taft trying to wangle himself a job as, perhaps, head of the Peace Corps. That's the kind of job which the tough Bush administration conservatives just might be willing to give to a Republican they see as a softy.



The rumors had Ohio Gov. Bob Taft trying to wangle himself a job as, perhaps, head of the Peace Corps. That's the kind of job which the tough Bush administration conservatives just might be willing to give to a Republican they see as a softy.

Governor does the more Taft-like thing

Dec 23, 2004

Dayton Daily News

IN THE END, THE REALITY WASN'T NEARLY AS much fun as the rumors. The rumors had Ohio Gov. Bob Taft trying to wangle himself a job as, perhaps, head of the Peace Corps. That's the kind of job which the tough Bush administration conservatives just might be willing to give to a Republican they see as a softy.

Specifically, the alleged plan was that Gov. Taft would take advantage of a vacancy in the position of state treasurer to move his lieutenant governor over there. That would make room for Bushadministration-favorite Rep. Rob Portman as lieutenant governor, then governor in 2006 (or before), then who-knows-what? In return, Gov. Taft would get a nice appointment.

Though some politicos saw some merit in the plan, it was always way too cute.

"Cute" is not the first word generally associated with Gov. Taft. "Sober" would be higher on the list. And, indeed, he now has soberly appointed his development director, Bruce E. Johnson, as lieutenant governor while moving his lieutenant governor to treasurer.

Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley is a reasonable choice for treasurer. She was senior vice president for public funds for Huntington National Bank. And as lieutenant governor she has also been head of the commerce department. It regulates banks. She will be dealing a lot with banks as a handler of the state's money.

She would also bring a person of color and an apparent moderate to the Republican ticket in 2006, when she would actually face election as treasurer. She has some opponents in the party because of past evidence of support for abortion rights and gay rights. But both parties would serve the people of Ohio best by reaching beyond their bases on issues like these.

The vacancy at treasurer arose because Treasurer Joe Deters, who always really wanted to be attorney general, and who saw two aides convicted of misdemeanors, got the opportunity to go back to Hamilton County to be prosecutor again, when a fellow Republican got in trouble there.

As for Rep. Portman -- who always denied any interest in the too- cute scenario -- he will apparently have to rise in the political ranks by more conventional means. He will certainly have the opportunity. All the talk about the Peace Corps gambit has raised his stature as the guy to watch in Republican circles.

But the 2006 gubernatorial vacancy never seemed likely to be his. Three Republicans in statewide office have been running for that one forever, it seems. They have all already accepted all the consolation prizes they're interested in.

So the state now faces the possibility of that rare event: a hardfought primary among two or three substantial, experienced, well- known candidates with different philosophical perspectives: Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell (on the right), Attorney General Jim Petro, and Auditor (and former attorney general) Betty Montgomery.

The Taft decision clears the way for that fight while allowing the governor -- who first brought Ms. Bradley on the statewide scene as lieutenant governor -- to keep his dignity and be true to his own values as a relative moderate.

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

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January 8, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Zambia RPCV Karla Berg interviews 1,374 people on Peace 7 Jan Breaking Taboo, Mandela Says Son Died of AIDS 6 Jan Dreadlocked PCV raises eyebrows in Africa 6 Jan RPCV Jose Ravano directs CARE's efforts in Sri Lanka 6 Jan Persuading Retiring Baby Boomers to Volunteer 6 Jan Inventor of "Drown Proofing" retires 6 Jan NPCA Membership approves Board Changes 5 Jan Timothy Shriver announces "Rebuild Hope Fund" 5 Jan More Water Bottles, Fewer Bullets 4 Jan Poland RPCV Rebecca Parker runs Solterra Books 2 Jan Peace Corps Fund plans event for September 30 Dec RPCV Carmen Bailey recounts bout with cerebral malaria 28 Dec more top stories...

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Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

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