Now, check out possible COS Pete Rouse. His background, voter reg in AK,etc’——————
So did anyone check it out?
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PROBLEM SOLVER
It seems unlikely that Rouse will play the same role on Alaska issues he once did in the Senate. He's just too high up the ladder, with the White House operations and policy branches both reporting through him.
"I fix problems," he said, explaining his new role.
Still Alaska veterans in Washington are glad to have him there. A big fan was former Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, who praised Rouse on the Senate floor in 1999. Others interviewed in recent weeks, including John Katz, the longtime head of the state's Washington office, spoke about his long value to Alaska.
It was because of Rouse that Obama was the only presidential candidate to speak about Alaska's natural gas pipeline before the primaries began, said former Gov. Tony Knowles, a Democrat, who got help from Rouse during his unsuccessful 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate.
"Pete's very smart, highly skilled, and has always been totally square in our dealings," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in January. "I expect we will agree on some issues and disagree on others, but having him at that level in the White House has to be good for our state."
One of Rouse's best friends in Alaska is state Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau. Rouse was the one who recruited Elton, a former journalist, into politics to work for Miller. Elton said Rouse is always eager for e-mailed photos of Romeo, the black wolf often photographed around Juneau.
Elton said he followed the presidential race through Rouse, backing Obama early on the strength of his friend's endorsement. But he told Rouse he couldn't talk about Palin once she was named to the Republican ticket. As chairman of the Legislative Council, Elton played a central role in the Legislature's "Troopergate" investigation of the governor, which Republicans complained was being run by Obama supporters.
"It was awkward, because I usually love to talk about things like that," Elton said.
When Elton and his wife traveled east for the inauguration, they stayed with Rouse. Now Elton is under consideration for a high-level appointment as a special assistant on Alaska issues in the Interior Secretary's office.
Rouse said keeping up with Alaska friends has helped keep his affection for the place strong.
"The other thing I always say about Alaskans is, once you make a friend in Alaska, you make a friend for life," he said.