Orson Swindle in line
for next seat on FTC

GOP leaders have submitted
his name, making selection likely

By Pete Pichaske
Star-Bulletin

WASHINGTON - Orson Swindle, who last year almost toppled Neil Abercrombie from his Honolulu congressional perch, appears headed for a seat on the Federal Trade Commission.

Swindle's name was submitted to the White House by Senate GOP leaders at the suggestion of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees the commission. Swindle and McCain were prisoners of war together in Vietnam and remain close.

Although the appointment is made by the president, the seat Swindle is in line for is reserved for a Republican. By tradition, presidents follow the recommendations of the opposite party's leaders.

"Orson is an old, dear friend and I suggested his name to Sen. (Trent) Lott," the Senate Majority Leader, said McCain. The Clinton administration has indicated it has no objections to Swindle, said McCain, and will appoint him to the five-member panel.

Swindle said he was interested and "extremely flattered." He added, "It'll be quite an interesting job and a real challenge, and those are things I like."

Federal Trade Commission commissioner is a full-time job, and Swindle said he would move to Washington if confirmed to the post. Commissioners earn $115,700 a year, according to a spokeswoman.

The commission was created in 1914 to help "bust the trusts" during an era of monopolies. It evolved into the government's main watchdog for anti-competitive and misleading business practices.

The commission has authority over a range of practices, including deceptive advertising, business mergers and credit discrimination.

Members are appointed to seven-year terms, and no more than three of the five members can belong to any one political party. Republican Roscoe Starek's term expires this fall, and that, presumably, is the opening Swindle would fill.

An appointment must be confirmed by the Senate, but McCain foresaw no problems in the GOP-dominated Senate. "He (Swindle) has a lot of friends here," said McCain.

A former top aide to independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, Swindle challenged Abercrombie for Hawaii's first congressional district seat in 1994 and again in 1996, losing by about 6,700 votes the second time.

He has previously said he would not make another run next year, although he continues to lambaste Abercrombie as out of touch and vulnerable to a challenge.

Before moving to Hawaii, Swindle served as assistant secretary of commerce under President Ronald Reagan.