Vilsack to Bring Hawkeye۪s Vision to AG

“Out of the Spotlight” Posting for December 17, 2008

Vilsack۪s Hawkeye Vision: New AG Secretary۪s Own Life a Lesson in the Importance of Opportunity.Today’s announcement that former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack will be Secretary of Agriculture adds another key player to the Obama cabinet۪s poverty-fighting team. It addition to its importance to rural Americans, the USDA۪s nutrition and anti-hunger programs play a significant role in the lives of poor people in all areas of the country. Vilsack۪s unusual childhood gives him a unique perspective for the job. He was placed in an orphanage days after his birth in 1950 and lived with a mother who had problems with addictions, including alcohol and prescription drugs. She left home when Vilsack was just 13. Analysts will turn over Vilsack’s strong record looking for clues as to what he will do in the post, but in addition to being a well-known policy wonk, his biography suggests he knows first hand that not everyone gets a fair shake at the start.

posted by Mike

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