Speculation has grown during the past several weeks that Gov. Tom Vilsack likely will leave Iowa if John Kerry wins this November - not as vice president but as a Cabinet member.

On Thursday, a cable news station point blank asked the governor if he was in line for such a spot. Vilsack only smiled in his usual sheepish, farmboy way and said he was too focused on bringing jobs to Iowa to think about a Cabinet post, an obvious jab at state Republicans holding up dollars for his Iowa Values Fund.

The issue: • Speculation is rising that Gov. Tom Vilsack may be tapped for a Cabinet position if John Kerry wins in November. We suggest: • A lot of facts hint at a Cabinet post. The questions then become, "Which post?" and, "What are the implications for Iowans?" What do you think? • If the opportunity avails, should Vilsack take a Cabinet post? Which one is he best suited for? • Send your comments to Opinion Page, P.O. Box 2480, Iowa City, Iowa 52245 or e-mail to opinion@ press-citizen.com. No faxes, please.

There's good reason to think that Vilsack will go to Washington, however. The Kerry campaign vetted him for vice president. He served as co-chairman of the Democrats' platform committee during last week's national convention. His wife, Christie, played a key role in Kerry's campaign, addressing the convention during prime time after endorsing the Massachusetts senator in television ads during the caucuses. Vilsack's former chief of staff runs Kerry's field operations in Iowa. Vilsack is increasingly quoted in articles and editorials written by the nation's largest newspapers about Kerry. He leads the Democratic Governors' Association. And he has no plans to run for a third term as governor, meaning his future is wide open.

What position?

The question then arises: What would Vilsack's position be in a Kerry Cabinet? Thinking "Iowa" automatically brings up secretary of agriculture, but Vilsack's inexperience in farming makes him ill-suited for that thankless post. During the Democrats' convention, Vilsack developed planks regarding foreign policy, but as governor, his focus has been on economic development; the thought then is perhaps either homeland security director or secretary of labor. Though Vilsack is an able administrator, there certainly are others more qualified to lead those departments, say former Gen. Wesley Clark or Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt.

Of all the Cabinet posts, Vilsack may best be suited to head the Department of Energy. Kerry proposes visionary changes to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil via alternative and yet-to-be-devised power sources and touts this as a way of creating jobs; likewise, Vilsack has proposed a visionary restructuring of Iowa's economy toward the forward-looking biosciences, information systems and advanced manufacturing industries, all as a way to create new jobs. In addition, Vilsack has experience working with alternative energy sources. His administration has overseen the expansion of ethanol and wind power usage and industries in Iowa. Vilsack also is unshackled from oil companies, which have virtually no interests in Iowa and are a major target of Kerry's campaign rhetoric. Finally, Vilsack has been a proponent of environmental protections in line with Kerry's positions. Neither Kerry nor Vilsack would allow new power sources to come from altering rivers or national forests and preserves.

Implications on Iowa

Should Vilsack leave, the Iowa political scene would see some dramatic shifts. Most obviously, Sally Pederson would become governor, the first woman to ever hold the post in Iowa. The significant and constitutional question of how someone then becomes lieutenant governor will arise. The Iowa Constitution isn't so clear on the matter of whether Pederson can appoint someone to the post or if a special election would have to be held. And despite being an incumbent, she would run in 2006 from a weak position of being non-elected. She'll likely face at least one challenger in the Democratic primary, Des Moines Rep. Ed Fallon. Surviving that, her term still might be short-lived - the other party often unseats lieutenant governors who take over during the last half of their former boss' term. Lieutenant governors simply don't have the time to develop a style or record that voters find comfortable.

Of course, for any of this to happen, Kerry first must win the election. And even if he does, Vilsack's future in his Cabinet likely will be dependent on restoring the Values Fund and ensuring Iowa is a blue state on Nov. 2.