Bush names his czar

When President Bush's nomination for manufacuting czar is sent to the U.S. Senate for confirmation, we hope the Republican leadership does not rush to rubber stamp the decision. Ohio's two senators, Mike DeWine and George V. Voinovich, both Republicans, deserve the opportunity to question Albert A. Frink Jr., a Southern California carpet company executive.
Why? Because Frink's credentials for the job, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times, certainly don't reveal a deep understanding of what is taking place in the industrial Midwest. Nearly 2 million high-paying manufacturing jobs have been lost, many of them in states like Ohio, and many as a result of American companies chasing cheap labor abroad.
Presidential sweepstakes
Indeed, it was during a visit to Buckeye State last Labor Day that the president announced he would appoint a manufacturing czar -- formally, the assistant Commerce secretary for manufacturing and services -- to find solutions to the job drain.
Thus, Frink's appointment begs the question, "What does he know about Ohio, which lost a total of 236,300 jobs since January 2001, 170,100 in the manufacturing sector?"