Tom Ridge, the former head of Homeland Security and a member of John McCain’s vice presidential search committee, was in the Twin Cities last week, but it apparently wasn’t to talk about whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty should be McCain’s running mate in November.
It seems Ridge did more talking about himself than asking about our governor — at least in a Tuesday meeting with a group of Republican legislators.
“We didn’t talk about the governor as much as I thought we would,” said Rep. Marty Seifert, the House minority leader. “Someone in our group asked about McCain hooking up with a good guy for vice president and I think Ridge thought we were talking about him. It was a little awkward.”
Mostly, Seifert said, Ridge talked with Republicans about being effective in the minority.
Ridge, who at one time was on President Bush’s short list of VP candidates, is not just searching for a McCain running mate this time around. He’s also considered a candidate. The former Pennsylvania congressman and governor was in the Twin Cities in his role as a “senior adviser” for Deloitte & Touche, an international professional services/auditing company.
It’s presumed that Ridge did find time to meet with Pawlenty, but there’s been no confirmation of that from the governor’s office.
Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s view of Minn. Exports of needed agricultural food commodities to Cuba, would leave my neighbors to the immediate south of my home in Florida, hungery. I wish that your Governor would see for himself the needs and changes taking place in Cuba today.
Between 1860 and 1959, my ancestors shipped grains from the United States via the Gulf ports of New Orleans and Tampa. We were natural trading partners, shipping grain and flour to Cuba and returnig with coffee,sugar, cigars and the occassional cases of Cuban rum. More importantly we shipped automobiles( many still running), hard ware supplies and lots of John Deere’s and Catapillers.
Minn. cattlemen and women have done an excellent job to promote American dairy and beef cattle supplies to Cuba. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has joined the ranks of Americans who favor Food as an American Weapon of Malnutrition. Very sad as the 12 million Cuban neighbors that I am happy to call ” Friends ” to my south in our shared beautiful Caribbean waters, are truely a kind people of good character who deserve a kindner US Policy of peace and economic tranquility in the Caribbean. It is time to place American Cuban Policy on a friendly and positive economic and cultural basis.
John Parke Wright IV
Naples, Florida