So it looks as if Gov. Bill Richardson is our nation's next secretary of commerce: a good choice, if not as good as secretary of state might have been.

If he takes that prestigious position, and leaves what he has called "the best job in the world," New Mexicans get our first woman governor: Lt. Gov. Diane Denish steps into the post she has filled so often as a substitute during Richardson's presidential campaign and subsequent stumping for President-elect Barack Obama.

During the past week, one of palace intrigue worthy of the Borgias, Bill Clinton made a compelling case for his wife, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, to take over the State Department in the Barack Obama administration. That case included at least some lifting of the veil over the former president's sources of income, and might or might not have included Bill as aide-de-camp to Hillary; two Clintons for the price of one, if you don't mind a bit of baggage ...

Secretary Clinton would carry to the world remnants of the reputation her husband made by helping restore a semblance of peace to the Balkans, and with other diplomatic initiatives. But her forte, as First Lady, then as senator, has been domestic, not foreign, affairs. For that reason, and others, we think global troubleshooter Richardson would have been a better fit at state.

But commerce carries heavy international responsibilities, and opportunities; the personable, yet our protocol-savvy Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations, could be as ideal at the position as another Richardson — the brilliant, polished and versatile Elliot, whose four Cabinet seats included the commerce secretariat under Gerald Ford.

New Mexicans concerned that the governor will be called upon to solve the financial crisis, when he might have created one here, needn't worry: Most of that task will be on the shoulders of treasury-secretary designate Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve.

Richardson's mission is promoting foreign and domestic commerce. As governor, he earned plaudits from Democrats and Republicans alike for his economic-development efforts.

His work as energy secretary in the Clinton administration should serve him well in promoting the vast business potential in new energy sources. Technology is one of the department's undersecretariats, and who has higher technological ability than Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories? Between a Secretary Richardson and New Mexico's new congressional delegation, our state could have a strong part in rebuilding America's battered economy.

As for a Gov. Denish, she knows her state well — and can see far beyond Santa Fe's rarefied and, uh, different political atmosphere. She gets good marks from legislators for her role as Senate president, and her service on the New Mexico Tech board of regents should bode well for public education. She has been chair of the state's long-ruling, now-strengthened Democratic party, so she knows where the skeletons are stashed, and can call in favors and call on friendships.

Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Maybe. The Obama nominations aren't yet carved in granite, and Senate confirmation of Clinton and Richardson might prove, uh, problematic.

But to all appearances, our state is part of the tectonic shift taking place at our nation's highest levels. The prospective promotions look promising.