That's what the AP is reporting:
A senior administration official says that President Barack Obama's likely third pick for Commerce secretary is former Washington Gov. Gary Locke.
Huh. Locke isn't exactly a lot of folks' favorite governor, though apart from his conventional approach to trade issues it's hard to argue that he's a bad choice for Commerce.
Washington is one of our nation's most export dependent states, consistently ranking fourth overall in total exports behind California, Texas and New York, and first in exports per capita. And as our nation's first Chinese-American governor Locke is uniquely positioned to bridge the cultural gap with one our most important trading partners.
I'd say this is a safe appointment for Obama, one that will generate little excitement and little controversy. Locke is honest, workmanlike, and socially progressive (by national standards) if politically cautious, and while I'd prefer a Commerce Secretary who might at least challenge the current orthodoxy on trade, given his tenure in the governor's mansion I wouldn't expect much leadership from him on these issues one way or the other.
Unless he's got some tax or nanny issue I'm unaware of, this should be an easy confirmation.
[David Goldstein writes on Washington state politics at HorsesAss.org]
Transportation equipment, primarily aircraft and parts, accounted for about 64 percent of exports in 2007.
Washington has consistently ranked in the top five states in exports during the last decade, and in 2007 ranked fourth in total exports behind Texas, California, and New York."
Source: World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER) Foreign Trade Database
Do you think the tax breaks for Boeing have anything to do with the fact that 64% of Washington's exports come from the Aircraft industry? I do!
"Exports to India increased by 440 percent from 2006 to 2007, as India was the state's No. 14 export market two years ago. "
Source: Puget Sound Business Journal
You supplied no source for your claim that Lock "outsourced state jobs to India", but, whatever our policy is vis-a-vis India, it seems to be paying off!
In an earlier era, Locke would have been an Eisenhower big business Republican. This is not change we can believe in. It is just the same old cooptation by corporations that we had under Bush.