Subject: Ray Mabus
From: "Chris Lu" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked], "Froman, Michael B " <[email-masked]>
Cc: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:46:59 -0500

Former Gov. Mabus has tangentially helped us with the transition and has
asked to be considered for the positions in his email.  He was certainly
an early supporter of ours and has had a distinguished career.  I defer
to all of you whether the cabinet positions he's requesting are
reasonable are not.

Subject: Resumes
From: "Ray Mabus" <[email-masked]>
To: "Chris Lu" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:15:05 -0500

   My email could not handle all the attachments so here are the two versions of my resume. Thank you again. 

Subject: Preferences
From: "Ray Mabus" <[email-masked]>
To: "Chris Lu" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:11:19 -0500

Mr. Chris Lu
Chief of Staff
Office of Senator Barack Obama
SH-713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chris,
 
It was good visiting with you last week in Washington.  Thank you for taking the time to see me and for your counsel.  As you suggested, I am identifying positions for which I would like to be considered in an Obama Administration.  I have also attached, for each position, a one-page summary of why I believe I am well qualified and why I would be a good fit for that position. I have also attached long and short versions of my resume. Of course, these are my choices.  If Senator Obama and his team think my background and skills would be a better match for a different office, I would be honored to be considered. 
 
My preferred positions are as follows:  Secretary of Education; Secretary of Energy; Ambassador to the United Nations; and Deputy Secretary of State.
 
I would also like to make some more general points about why I think I should be given serious consideration for these particular positions.  
 
I was a very early and a very active supporter of Senator Obama in this election.  My support was publically announced in May 2007 (although my commitment to Senator Obama preceded that by a month).  During the primaries and the general election, I have done more than 300 events on behalf of the campaign.  I have been to twenty-four states, many several times. At one point early in the general election, I was told by the surrogate staff that I was the most-traveled Obama surrogate.  I have done countless media interviews and made scores of calls to elected officials, party leaders, activists and super-delegates.  I have also worked on policy issues for the national security group as well as the education and energy groups detailing what actions need immediate and priority attention in a new administration.  I believe I have been a good and effective representative for Senator Obama.
 
I do believe that having the endorsement of a former Governor of Mississippi helped Senator Obama not only in the South but also across the country to show the breadth and diversity of his support.  I am viewed in many places I visit with a sense of wonder mixed with disbelief that I really was Governor of Mississippi and that I really am so strongly committed to Barack Obama.  Also, I feel having significant foreign policy experience, as an appointee of President Clinton, has helped in my efforts for Senator Obama.  
 
However, I should not be considered for a senior position simply because I was I was there early or because I worked hard.  I should also be highly qualified to hold such a position and bring other, more intangible, attributes to any job.
 
Having been Governor of a state with more than 28,000 employees (with another 75,000 employees in the educational system), Ambassador in charge of one of the largest United States missions, Chief Executive Officer in the private sector of a company with more than 4,000 employees, and State Auditor of Mississippi charged with auditing all federal, state and local monies, I have extensive and varied management experience.  I know how to run large, complex organizations and have done so successfully in several arenas.
 
While I bring a great deal of knowledge and experience, I do not bring Washington baggage.  As you and I have discussed, for a President Obama to be successful and fulfill his campaign commitments, he must have voices from outside Washington.  I believe he needs diversity in all facets of his administration and having someone from the deep South helps him demonstrate this commitment, as well as helping him attain his goals for this country. 
 
From my first elected position as State Auditor of Mississippi through serving as Governor and Ambassador, I have tried to reform the offices I have held to make them more accountable and to move in directions which would be the most helpful to the people whose lives were affected by these offices. 
 
Although I am not from Washington, I do bring a detailed knowledge of how the federal government works from my previous elected and appointed jobs. Also I continue to enjoy good relations with many members of Congress. When I was nominated as Ambassador, I was introduced at my confirmation hearing by all seven members of the Mississippi Congressional delegation, both Democratic and Republican.  I have had very good working relationships with the entire Mississippi delegation including Senator Thad Cochran, Mississippi's Republican senior Senator and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as with many Democratic Senators and Congressmen from different states.  I feel confident that nothing in my background would be an impediment to any confirmation.
 
I have kept current in national security matters by my membership in the Council on Foreign Relations, by serving on the board of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy, by teaching a course on the Middle East at the Honors College of the University of Mississippi, and by my membership on the board of AMIDEAST, a non-profit promoting education, information and development between the United States and the Middle East.  I have also traveled to more than a hundred countries on six continents, many multiple times, on my own as well as for business, giving me in-depth knowledge of many countries, cultures and issues. 
 
Running for and getting elected Governor, especially as a reform Democrat in Mississippi, shows that I have the political skills required to negotiate the challenges  faced in any of these positions.  My record of accomplishment as Governor and Ambassador shows that I also have the skills, political and governmental, to be very effective once in office.
 
It is also important that I have never been a lobbyist at any level of government.  I would not bring any special interest point of view to any post.  
 
Thank you for your advice and assistance.  I will be happy to furnish any other information that may be needed and to meet at any time.  
 
For the sake of our country, I deeply want Barack Obama to succeed.  Given my background and experience, I sincerely believe and hope that I can be of significant assistance in that effort.
 
                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Ray Mabus
 
Hard copy sent for over night delivery