Ga. congressman says talk of Obama cabinet post is rumor

Washington — Georgia Rep. Sanford Bishop is a top contender to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, close observers of farm issues said Friday.

The Albany Democrat, in an interview, welcomed what he called “rumors” that he has moved to the short list for President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet.

“Certainly I would be honored to serve if I were asked,” said Bishop, who just won re-election to a ninth term in a district that is heavily dependent on the farm economy.

Bishop’s name surfaced this week in Agri-Pulse, an online newsletter that quoted “sources close” to the transition effort. The newsletter credited him for securing $74 million for peanut storage.

In the interview, the Georgia lawmaker said he was “flattered” by reports that he’s on a short list for the post. He noted that he has served on the House Agriculture Committee and as of 2006 has sat on the appropriation subcommittee that oversees agriculture programs. He added that he represents “one of the largest and most diverse agricultural districts in the country.”

The possibility of having a Georgian heading the Agriculture Department would be a plus for the state’s farm community, said Lindsay Mabry, spokeswoman for Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Bishop and Chambliss “are obviously very good friends and they’ve worked extensively together on agriculture issues,” she said. Chambliss, who served with Bishop in the House of Representatives, chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee before the Republicans lost their majority in 2006.

Bishop served as co-chairman for the Obama presidential campaign. His name surfaced along with Rep. John Salazar, a Colorado Democrat and potato seed farmer, who told the Denver Post that he was under consideration for the job.

Also mentioned has been Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, but her name has now receded from speculation amid reports that she was not interested in the job.

James C. Webster, a former top agriculture official in the Jimmy Carter administration and longtime farm politics commentator, said both candidates have strong points.

Salazar has the advantage of firsthand farm experience, Webster said, adding that the Colorado lawmaker grows vegetables, instead of the more traditional grain, cotton and hog operations of past secretaries of agriculture. Plus, Salazar would offer some Western balance for the Cabinet, he said.

But Bishop has been “very good on mainstream agriculture issues” while avoiding “irritating” the outspoken segment now advocating specialty crops and organic methods, said Webster, whose column appears in Agri-Pulse.

Bishop, first elected to Congress in 1992, also has more federal government experience, said Webster. Salazar has served just two terms on Capitol Hill.

If chosen, Bishop would add to the Cabinet diversity, as an African-American overseeing a department with a documented history of unequal treatment of black farmers.

A moderate, Bishop has a voting record that is among the most conservative in the Congressional Black Caucus.