more weird prep-dropping and/or subcategorization

[Laurence Horn]

headline and first paragraph from a Huffington Post story today:

Bill Richardson Withdraws Commerce Secretary Nomination

WASHINGTON - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson on Sunday announced that
he was withdrawing his nomination to be President-elect Barack
Obama's commerce secretary amid a grand jury investigation into how
some of his political donors won a lucrative state contract.

I don't recall this construction before, with the nominee withdrawing
his own nomination to a cabinet position, although I'm not sure I
could say "withdrawing from his nomination" either.  I guess I'd use
"decline".  Or something.   But for me, only the President-Elect (or
President-Select, as Rush Limbaugh and his ilk like to call him)
could withdraw Richardson's nomination, assuming the nomination
itself really exists in the first place before Obama is sworn in.

LH

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