At least one rumor has it that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is two weeks away from getting the top job at Commerce. Well, that’d be interesting. I predicted the online/social media privacy issues wouldn’t be solved this year, because of conflicts in Congress that might be easing, but more because too much money was at stake. And here are some of my suggestions on how the industry could offer a credible compromise without killing off online advertising before it’s even begun to reach its potential. Schmidt is no privacy “nut” – perhaps just the opposite – and he’d definitely be pro-advertising. If he’s Commerce Secretary, advertisers and the publishers that don’t secretly want to kill behavioral targeting – I’m looking at you, Wall Street Journal – would have a friend in high places.