President-elect Obama says Governor Bill Richardson will be “a leading economic diplomat” as secretary of commerce.

Washington — New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is President-elect Obama’s choice for secretary of commerce, a job Obama describes as being “a leading economic diplomat for America.”

Speaking in Chicago December 3, Obama said that, along with active commerce among U.S. states, America’s robust participation in the global economy is key to its economic recovery, and Richardson “understands that the success of today's business, in Detroit or Columbus, often depends on whether it can sell products in places like Santiago or Shanghai.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Richardson will be responsible for promoting business and industry within the United States, as well as facilitating international trade. The Commerce Department also houses the Patent and Trademark Office, which provides legal protection for intellectual property, and maintains economic and U.S. Census statistics. (See "Future Cabinet / Richardson")

Richardson served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to1998 and then served as secretary of energy from 1998 to 2001 before winning election as New Mexico’s governor in 2002.

Obama said that Richardson’s tenure as energy secretary gives him an understanding of “the steps we must take to build a new clean-energy industry and create the green jobs of the 21st century,” and his role at the United Nations has provided him with “international stature and a deep understanding of today's global economy.”

The president-elect praised Richardson’s service as governor, saying his administration worked with businesses in New Mexico to create 80,000 new jobs and “under his leadership, New Mexico saw the lowest unemployment rate in decades.”

Secretary-designate Richardson says more commerce with the rest of the world is “the only path” to U.S. economic growth and solvency.

In his remarks, Richardson said the Commerce Department has a “vital role” to play in the U.S. economic recovery.

“In the worlds of diplomacy and commerce, you open markets and minds not with rivalry but instead with partnership and innovation and hard work,” he said, adding that an increase in commerce between the United States and the world, as well as between U.S. states, “is not just a path to solvency and growth – it’s the only path.”

The governor said the Commerce Department is central to President-elect Obama’s economic recovery plan of “investment, public-private partnerships, green jobs, technology, broadband, climate change and research.”

Speaking for a time in Spanish, Richardson thanked Hispanic Americans for supporting Obama in the presidential election, telling them, “Our vote has been our voice.”

Richardson spent much of his childhood in Mexico City. As a congressman from New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District between 1982 and 1997, he represented the United States’ most diverse constituency, with a population that was 44 percent white, 34 percent Hispanic and 20 percent American Indian.

On the international stage, Richardson has worked to obtain the release of hostages, American servicemen and political prisoners in countries such as North Korea, Iraq, Sudan, Bangladesh and Cuba, and reportedly has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize several times.

Asked about the diversity of his choices for high public office, President-elect Obama said he rejects the notion that there is a “contradiction between diversity and excellence” in his selections for his Cabinet and White House staff.

“When people look back and see the entire slate … people are going to say this is one of the most diverse Cabinets and White House staffs of all time. But more importantly they're going to say these are all people of outstanding qualifications and excellence,” Obama said.