Court candidate Granholm to be at White House

[usregimechange]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, one of President Barack Obama's candidates for the Supreme Court, will be at the White House on Tuesday for an event about the auto industry. That is the "primary" purpose of her visit, anyway, as the White House put it.

Granholm will be on hand when Obama is expected to announce new auto fuel efficiency standards, a matter vital to the auto industry that helps define the economy in her own state. An administration official spoke on condition of anonymity about the event because it had not been announced.

It is not clear whether Granholm also will meet with Obama about the upcoming vacancy on the court; Justice David Souter is retiring this summer.

The president plans to conduct interviews before announcing a nominee but has not yet done any, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.

Asked whether Granholm and Obama would be discussing the Supreme Court, Gibbs said: "I think the governor's primary objective in coming is an announcement we'll make tomorrow on a different topic."

When asked whether a secondary purpose was a court interview, Gibbs was coy: "I feel good about my first answer."

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[Catshrink]

1. Gibbs is so smooth.

What a great Press Secretary.