Antonio As Financial Whiz (and Cheap Date)

Like Mickey Kaus I'd been wondering about Antonio Villaraigosa's presence on the Obama national-psychotherapy-cum-reassurance-for-Wall-Street economic advisory team. Now I have enormous respect for Antonio as a politician, but let's face it, a guy who failed the CA bar exam four times cut an odd figure being there at Obama's Chicago press conference in the company of Rubin, Volcker, Buffett, etc.

My Hispanic informants tell me that Antonio-as-Financial-Whiz has been heavily covered on Spanish-language media, especially but not exclusively around LA... perhaps Obama's people, who've been hawking the 'appointment' left and right to Hispanic journalists, would rather 'reward' Hispanics for their 2-to-1 support by giving Antonio some air-time than by actually having to, say, appoint Bill Richardson to a cabinet post? Patronizing, for sure, but better than Secretary of State Bill Richardson or Janet Murguia as Director of ICE!