So Much for Bipartisanship: Senator Gregg Withdraws From Cabinet Post
Posted on 12. Feb, 2009 by Daniel Taylor in Politics
From Drudge:
Senator Gregg Statement on His Withdrawal for Consideration of U.S. Commerce Secretary
Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.
“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.
“Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives.
“I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position.
“As we move forward, I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can and will work to assure the success of the President's proposals. This will certainly be a goal of mine.
“Kathy and I also want to specifically thank Governor Lynch and Bonnie Newman for their friendship and assistance during this period. In addition we wish to thank all the people, especially in New Hampshire, who have been so kind and generous in their supportive comments.
“As a further matter of clarification, nothing about the vetting process played any role in this decision. I will continue to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate.â€
I guess that's what Barack Obama gets for trying to include Republicans in his administration, when they are obviously sold on the idea that their only hope for political survival is to dig in their heels and hold on tight for the next two years until they somehow manage to regain control of the House or Senate. However, the most beguiling part of this whole debacle is the fact that Gregg openly campaigned for the Commerce post in the first place:
A Democratic source close to the Obama White House said Thursday that Judd Gregg "campaigned for the job" — that the New Hampshire senator had asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to approach the president about the Commerce post.
Gregg "sat with [Obama], said he wanted the job, knew his policies and erratically dropped out without warning," said the source, minutes after the Republican senator announced his withdrawal from consideration.
