WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama introduced former Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his nominee for commerce secretary Wednesday, trying a third time to fill a key Cabinet post for a country in recession.
"I'm sure it's not lost on anyone that we've tried this a couple of times. But I'm a big believer in keeping at something until you get it right. And Gary is the right man for this job," Obama said, standing with the fellow Democrat in the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building near the White House.
The president's two top earlier choices for the post dropped out - one a Democrat facing questions about a donor and the other a Republican who had a change of heart about working for a president from the opposite party - well before the Senate had a chance to confirm them.
Obama praised Locke as a man who shares his vision for turning around the moribund economy, and as someone who is committed to doing what it takes to keep the American dream alive.
"Gary will be a trusted voice in my Cabinet, a tireless advocate for our economic competitiveness and an influential ambassador for American industry who will help us do everything we can, especially now, to promote our industry around the world," Obama said.
"I'm grateful he's agreed to leave one Washington for another," the president added.
In turn, Locke said he was committed to making the sprawling agency an "active and integral partner" in advancing Obama's economic agenda, as the agency nurtures innovation, expands global markets, protects ocean fisheries and fosters growth.
"The Department of Commerce can and will help create the jobs and the economic vitality our nation needs," Locke said.
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