The ranks of the nation’s unemployed have dropped by one.
As we had noted earlier in this space, at least one former Attorney General had been having trouble finding work in the legal profession. Now, the Austin American-Statesman tells us that Alberto Gonzales has landed a job teaching political science and recruiting minority students at Texas Tech University. Okay, so his dream of being baseball commissioner didn’t work out. And there are those–not me, of course–who don’t exactly consider the birthplace of Buddy Holly to be a garden spot. (Mac Davis once had a hit song that included the lyric: “Happiness is Lubbock, Texas, in my rear view mirror.”) Still, a paycheck is a paycheck. And Texas Tech sounds thrilled at their big-name hire:
Kent Hance, Texas Tech’s chancellor, was quoted saying: “I am excited that Alberto Gonzales is bringing his experience to Texas Tech. His own upbringing in Houston as part of a migrant family with eight children makes him qualified to tell underrepresented Texas students that college is possible. He will help Texas Tech and ASU prepare our students for success and to be future leaders in the state of Texas and beyond.”
Adds Lawrence Schovanec, interim dean of Texas Tech’s College of Arts and Sciences:
“Judge Gonzales brings a unique experience to our classroom. His career in law, government and public service will provide our political science students a rich perspective of the executive branch and issues and challenges facing our nation. ”
You can read the news release here. One little historic footnote: Hance, the chancellor who hired Gonzales, is the only person who ever beat George W. Bush in an election — back in 1978, when both were running for a congressional seat in the 19th district of Texas.