as governor. Virginia was rated as the best state to raise a child in a 2007 report by Education Week and the Pew Center on the States. Cabinet and appointments Kaine made the following appointments to his Virginia Governor's Cabinet: Chief of Staff: William Leighty (2006–2007), Wayne Turnage (2007–2010) Secretary of Administration: Viola Baskerville (2006–2010) Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry: Robert Bloxom (2006–2010) Secretary of Commerce and Trade: Patrick Gottschalk (2006–2010) Secretary of the Commonwealth: Katherine Hanley (2006–2010) Secretary of Education: Thomas R. Morris (2006–2010) Secretary of Finance:Jody Wagner (2006–2008), Ric Brown (2008–2010) Secretary of Health and Human Resources: Marilyn Tavenner (2006–2010) Secretary of Natural Resources: Preston Bryant (2006–2010) Secretary of Public Safety: John W. Marshall (2006–2010) Secretary of Technology: Aneesh Chopra (2006–2009), Leonard Pomata (2009–2010) Secretary of Transportation: Pierce Homer (2006–2010) Counselor to the Governor: Lawrence Roberts (2006–2009) Counselor to the Governor: Mark Rubin (2009–2010) Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness: Robert P. Crouch (2006–2010) Senior Advisor for Workforce: Daniel G. LeBlanc (2006–2010) As governor, Kaine made a number of appointments to the Virginia state courts. He made two appointments to the Supreme Court of Virginia, naming Chesapeake circuit judge S. Bernard Goodwyn to the Court in 2007 and Virginia Court of Appeals Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. in 2008. On September 27, 2007, just weeks after appointing Esam Omeish to the 20-member Virginia Commission on Immigration, Kaine learned that Omeish had made videos accusing Israel of genocide and calling for President Bush's impeachment. He immediately requested and received Omeish's resignation and said that background checks would be more thorough in the future. 2008 vice presidential speculation Kaine announced his support for Barack Obama's presidential bid in February 2007. It was maintained that Kaine's endorsement was the first from a statewide elected official outside of Illinois. Because Kaine was a relatively popular governor of a Southern state, there was media speculation that he was a potential nominee for vice president. Obama had supported Kaine in his campaign for governor, saying, "Tim Kaine has a message of fiscal responsibility and generosity of spirit. That kind of message can sell anywhere." On July 28, 2008, Politico reported that Kaine was "very, very high" on Obama's shortlist for vice president, a list that also included Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. Obama ultimately selected Biden. It was