RBR for Commerce Secretary

This should be an easy sell.
1. He's from a politically important state in the heartland.
2. He's all gooey about free trade.
3. He's got no recent campaign finance scandals.
4. I doubt he owes back taxes from the early 2000s -- or if he does, it's probably less than $28,000. Hard to rack up big tax debts while earning a Ph.D.
5. No nannygate.
6. He can say, in response to comments about budgets being bloated with pork, "I ain't afraid of pork, I eat pork for breakfast."
7. He understands something about how the EU works.
8. He seems to understand the scientific rationale behind using statistical sampling in the census.
9. He wears glasses. That means he's smart.
10. He already has his own subscription to "The Economist."

As far as I can tell from watching the media reports and the doings on Capitol Hill, these appear to be the only important qualifications.

Finally, he's not going to quit before Senate confirmation hearings. Jeez, what is up with Granitehead Gregg?