I'm still wrapping my head around the Commerce post for Richardson.
On the surface, it looks like a Glengarry Glen Ross award: first place is a Cadillac, second place is a set of steak knives (third place is you're fired). Richardson didn't get State, so second place is what? Commerce? Tenth in line for presidential succession? Seems like a major slide down the roster of cool gigs, especially considering how Richardson abandoned the Clintons in order to endorse Obama while the primaries were still hot.
Or put another way: can you name our current Commerce Secretary?* I had to look it up.
The other way to look at an A-lister getting an otherwise B-list cabinet post is that President-elect Obama is planning on amping up Commerce's role -- taking advantage of Richardson's diplomatic experience and reputation in order to seriously push hard on trade reforms. In effect, there are big Obama plans for trade in the near term.
*Carlos Gutierrez