Sun 31 Dec 2006
Which Eph is most likely to be Secretary of State in 2009? Probably Mitchell B. Reiss ‘79, adviser to Mitt Romney.
Governor Mitt Romney, looking to bolster his foreign policy experience as he prepares for a 2008 presidential run, embarks Sunday on a week-long trip to Asia, making stops in Japan, China, and the Korean Peninsula, where he will tour the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea.
Romney has made economic competition from Asia a centerpiece of his stump speech, often warning that the United States is falling behind the Far East in educating the scientists of tomorrow, a trend he believes will threaten America’s position as a economic and military superpower.
…
The trip is being paid for by Romney, not the commonwealth, Fehrnstrom said. Traveling with Romney will be Bob White, a close friend of the governor’s from Bain Capital who’s been instrumental in raising money for Romney’s political career, and Mitchell B. Reiss, a former director of policy planning for the US State Department who is now a vice provost at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Previous EphBlog coverage of Reiss here. If not Reiss, then who?
December 31st, 2006 at 1:18 pm
How likely is “most likely”?
December 31st, 2006 at 2:42 pm
A W man… this guy a Neocon?
December 31st, 2006 at 4:44 pm
How likely is “most likely”?
Well, with something like 43% of Americans saying the would never vote for a Mormon for president, pretty unlikely.
December 31st, 2006 at 7:03 pm
From where does the 43% figure come?
January 1st, 2007 at 11:14 am
intrarectral knowledge, most likely.
there was an LATimes poll this summer that surmised that 37% of respondents wouldn’t vote LDS, but of the same pool, 21% wouldn’t vote evangelical christian, so I think your mileage may vary.
January 1st, 2007 at 11:25 am
Romney’s number in the LA Times poll is precisely what the number was in 1960 for a catholic president. The number can certainly be overcome. Romney is going to be a very legit candidate for the GOP nod, if he can survive the damaging stories of the past several weeks regarding his apparent flip-flops on social issues. He’s one of the most impressive politicians I’ve ever seen and has a great team around him and in the early primary states.
January 1st, 2007 at 11:38 am
I’ll stick my neck out and predict that the next President will be a white guy with nice brown hair.
January 1st, 2007 at 1:53 pm
How about a white broad with liberal politics?
January 1st, 2007 at 9:18 pm
From where does the 43% figure come?
From an article in a recent issue of the New Republic. I don’t remember the exact date but Romney was on the cover.
January 1st, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Romney seems to have about a 10% chance of becoming president. If he does, then Reiss would be a natural choice as Secretary of State, given his resume and status as an early joiner.
Of course, those aren’t great odds, but I don’t know of a single other Eph with a) foreign policy credentials and b) significant connections to a presidential campaign. So, who has a better chance than Reiss? A Trade Representative, Susan Schwab ‘76 is another strong candidate, if a republican wins, but she does not seem to be an active adviser to any of the current candidates.
January 3rd, 2007 at 2:58 pm
David- I think 10% is a pipe dream.
http://reason4romney.blogspot.com/2006/12/new-republic-piles-on.html
Cheers!