Cause for Concern in Romney's Pick for Transition Post

Conservatives worried about whether Mitt Romney might govern as a conservative should he become president might have legitimate cause for concern when they consider the appointment he made to head a transition team: former Utah governor and HHS secretary Mike Leavitt. As a Washington Examiner editorial noted, "Leavitt is a leading Republican advocate for implementing Obamacare's burdensome health insurance exchanges in all 50 states. Conveniently, his consultancy group won a contract last month to set up the new exchange in New Mexico."

Leavitt's embrace of big government, notes the Examiner, does not end with health care. "As governor of Utah, Leavitt received a 'D' in the Cato Institute's 2002 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's governors -- the same grade as then-Vermont governor Howard Dean."

The people Romney picks to advance policies says a lot about the policies he will advance. This is not a good sign and bears intense scrutiny and demands for accountability from conservatives.

I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.

Publication date: June 8, 2012