In DC, all talk is on Obama cabinet choices

AZ needs Gov. Napolitano to stay.

WASHINGTON -- I'm in the DC area for post-election meetings. The mood is positive, and there is much talk and many questions about who Barack Obama will select for his cabinet.

Two quick thoughts. It is essential to Arizona's future that Gov. Janet Napolitano stay put. Without her as a backstop, the legislature could do great damage. If she wants to go to DC, she should run for John McCain's Senate seat in 2010, or work out an agreement with Obama on joining the administration after she serves out her term.

I am also involved in discussions on who should be the next US Secretary of Interior, a crucial post to the west on water, wildlife, lands and energy. Some of the names being circulated are conservative, somewhat anti-conservation Dems such as Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming or Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. Either would not be the best choice for the west or the nation.