2. The first Obama appointee to resign after a scandal in 2009 will be:

BILL RICHARDSON

We already have the answer for one of the question’s posed by the Dakini’s office pool.  It’s hard to know what to say other than welcome to Scamalot folks where pay-to-play is the  everyday way!  It certainly says a lot that this is the first answer so early and so BEFORE the swear in. 

This just in from the New York Times.

 Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico confirmed in a statement released Sunday afternoon that he has withdrawn his name as the commerce secretary nominee, citing a pending “investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government …

On Dec. 19, The Times published an article stating that a federal grand jury in New Mexico was looking into accusations that Governor Richardson’s administration gave lucrative contracts to a California financier because he contributed heavily to the governor’s political action committees.

The article, citing a person familiar with the grand jury proceedings, stated that since August, federal investigators have been examining how CDR Financial Products Inc., of Beverly Hills, Calif., got two consulting contracts in 2004 worth about $1.4 million to advise the state on a large bond issue for building infrastructure, one of Mr. Richardson’s initiatives.

The investigation was first reported in The Albuquerque Journal.”

The Times article also references the Richardson press release as well as Obama’s deep regrets.  Of course, this is not the Bill Richardson Obama knew.

The AP (as paraphrased in the NY Tiimes article) has also announced some of the details of the latest pay-to-play Obama buddy caught in an indictment.

According to The Associated Press, a federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Mr. Richardson’s political activities won a lucrative New Mexico state contract:

A person familiar with the proceedings has told The Associated Press that the grand jury is looking into possible “pay-to-play” dealings between CDR Financial Products and someone in a position to push the contract through with the state of New Mexico.

The A.P. also reports that Obama’s transition office said Sunday that the president-elect had accepted Mr. Richardson’s withdrawal.

Bye Bye Judas!!!   This is coincidently the second of Mr. Obama’s primary supporters/turncoats/opponents to have been caught up in scandal.  Did Mr. Axelrove perhaps find out things that both Judas and John Boy didn’t want out in the open during the primary season.  Inquiring minds want to know.