Let me agree with Rod, Ezra, and Matt that Tom Vilsack is a very disappointing pick by Obama for Secretary of Agriculture. As someone who lives in corn-producing state, I’ve seen my otherwise level-headed governor pander time and time again to Big Corn and push ethanol, even though economists and scientists agree that corn-based ethanol is bad, bad, bad.
I’ve been generally pleased with Obama’s choices thus far, but I was hoping that he wouldn’t pick an Ag Secretary who is in bed with big agribusiness and who will likely make few changes to the Farm Bill.