Norman Mineta Resigns A Day After James Fetzer Mentions Him On Fox News

[Gold9472]

Transportation Secretary Mineta resigns

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/....ap/index.html

Friday, June 23, 2006; Posted: 11:48 a.m. EDT (15:48 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, the only Democrat in President Bush's Cabinet, will step down next month.

Mineta's resignation is effective July 17, White House press secretary Tony Snow said Friday.

Mineta, 74, was plagued with back problems during his tenure as transportation secretary and spent months working from home and the hospital. But he has since recovered, and Snow offered no explanation for why he has decided to leave now.

Asked why Mineta resigned, Snow said: "Because he wanted to."

"He was not being pushed out," he said. "As a matter of fact, the president and the vice president and others were happy with him. He put in five and half years -- that's enough time."

Snow paid tribute to Mineta's long history in public life: his service in the Army, his elections to local positions in California, his 20 years representing California in the U.S. House, and his tours in two Cabinet positions, as Commerce secretary under former President Clinton and now under Bush.

Snow credited Mineta with cutting regulations and red tape to liberalize the commercial aviation market, establishing the Transportation Security Administration, helping to shape the highway bill and injecting "sound economic principles" into the nation's passenger rail system.

He offered no other comment about Mineta's departure, which comes weeks after a shake-up in Bush's top staff and Cabinet had appeared complete.

Mineta had only been expected to stay in the post until major highway funding legislation became law. Congress failed to pass a six-year, $300 billion bill to pay for highway and mass transit programs when the last spending plan expired on September 30, 2003. The previous level of spending was continued until the end of May.

[Gold9472]

Bush Makes Kennedy Center Appointments

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...103000890.html

The Associated Press
Monday, October 30, 2006; 7:45 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has tapped Emilio Estefan Jr., the Grammy-winning producer and husband of singer Gloria Estefan, to serve on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board of trustees, the White House said Monday.

A Cuban refugee, Estefan has worked on albums for Latin music's most significant crossover artists, including Shakira, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. He is already member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The board of trustees is headed by the current and former first ladies and has members from Congress, the government of the District of Columbia and those picked by the president, among others.

Bush also nominated billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn and former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to serve as board members. Wynn opened a $2.7 billion resort and casino in Las Vegas last year and in September opened a $1 billion hotel-casino in Macau, a Chinese territory.

Mineta, the only Democrat to serve in Bush's Cabinet, stepped down in July. His six years as secretary made him the longest-serving head of the department since it was formed in 1967.

Bush also selected investor Elliott Broidy, AOL founding executive James Kimsey and real estate developer Sheldon Kamins.

In September, Broidy hosted a fundraiser with Bush at his Beverly Hills home. The event was expected to raise $1.3 million for the Republican National Committee.

[beltman713]

Bush Makes Kennedy Center Appointments

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...103000890.html

The Associated Press
Monday, October 30, 2006; 7:45 PM

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has tapped Emilio Estefan Jr., the Grammy-winning producer and husband of singer Gloria Estefan, to serve on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board of trustees, the White House said Monday.

A Cuban refugee, Estefan has worked on albums for Latin music's most significant crossover artists, including Shakira, Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez. He is already member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

The board of trustees is headed by the current and former first ladies and has members from Congress, the government of the District of Columbia and those picked by the president, among others.

Bush also nominated billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn and former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta to serve as board members. Wynn opened a $2.7 billion resort and casino in Las Vegas last year and in September opened a $1 billion hotel-casino in Macau, a Chinese territory.

Mineta, the only Democrat to serve in Bush's Cabinet, stepped down in July. His six years as secretary made him the longest-serving head of the department since it was formed in 1967.

Bush also selected investor Elliott Broidy, AOL founding executive James Kimsey and real estate developer Sheldon Kamins.

In September, Broidy hosted a fundraiser with Bush at his Beverly Hills home. The event was expected to raise $1.3 million for the Republican National Committee.

So what?

[Gold9472]

So what?

I dunno. I just posted it cause maybe it's a "reward" for services rendered.

[beltman713]

Ok.