Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk Picked as US Trade Representative by Barack Obama

Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk Picked as US Trade Representative by Barack Obama

Huh? Are you serious? How the heck did this happen? See I have lived in Dallas for 20 years now and everyone here knows Ron Kirk is a nitemare. US Trade Representative? His tenure as Dallas mayor was so well respected that he couldn't even parlay it into a Senate seat as he lost the race in 2002. Kirk will be faced with the concerns of businesses that benefit from trade and concerns by workers that language in workers’ agreements may be too lenient.

The trade representative is an ambassador-level post with a staff of more than 200 and offices in Washington, Geneva and Brussels. Since the Ford administration, it has come with Cabinet rank. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Kirk would probably spend much of his time overseas hammering out trade deals and persuading foreign leaders to drop trade barriers, curb movie piracy, and open new markets for American goods.

Mr. Kirk, 54, was the city's first black mayor. He helped win approval for two controversial projects, the Trinity River overhaul and American Airlines Center, and was considered an ally of business interests.

He ran for the Senate in 2002 but lost to Republican John Cornyn. Since, he's been a lawyer and lobbyist, and this year, he was a surrogate campaigner for Barack Obama, traveling to other states and helping to introduce the candidate at a big Reunion Arena rally. Talk about rewarding someone for their campaigning and not getting someone qualified.....