Is Granholm looking to jump ship for D.C.?

If you saw Obama’s first press conference Friday afternoon, you likely noticed a familiar face there behind him: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, alongside the other members of President-elect Obama’s transition team.

The general consensus seems to be that Obama wants her to be a future Supreme Court Justice or to serve in his administration in some capacity, perhaps heading up the Energy, Labor or Interior department.

As Granholm was an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton, it’s a bit of a surprise that she and Obama have become so close. I’m not sure why, but Obama has some affinity for Granholm. She was invited to be the stand-in for Sarah Palin during Biden’s practice debates, and she was one of Obama’s special guests in the audience during his final debate with John McCain.

Given the severe economic conditions in Michigan, it’s also not surprising that Obama would reach out to our governor when attempting to craft an economic policy that addresses the issues faced by the Big Three. That, or maybe it’s just that he likes being around other graduates of Harvard Law.

According to some, like Lansing consultant Bill Rustem, who was quoted in Friday’s Chicago Tribune, given the choice, she may be more inclined to leave for D.C. than to stay here and watch the Big Three implode.

It’s also worth noting that Granholm, should she decide to stay in Michigan, could not run for governor again due to term limits. When her current term comes to an end 2010, the Canadian-born governor would be looking for work, and we know hard that is to find in Michigan.

According to the Grand Rapids Press, however, an offer to D.C. may not be made, at least in the short term. Their take is that Obama may, at the request for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer — an early backer of the president-elect’s — hold back on offering Granholm a position until closer to the end of her term as governor, in two years.

This, they argue, would keep Lt. Gov. John Cherry out of the governor’s office, thereby making him less of a threat to Archer come election time since he would not have the benefit of having served as the interim governor. The concern, simply put, is that if Granholm goes to D.C. now, Archer will have an uphill climb to win the Democratic nomination.

So, for now, I guess we just watch and wait, hoping that something good comes for the hard-working men and women of Michigan from the blossoming relationship between our governor and our future president.