Team Of (Former) Rivals: Judd Gregg's "Change Of Heart."

Wall St. Journal ^ | February 13, 2009

[Steelfish]

REVIEW & OUTLOOKFEBRUARY 13, 2009 Team of (Former) Rivals Judd Gregg's "change of heart."

Judd Gregg's withdrawal of his nomination to be Commerce Secretary indicates that President Obama's life with the left-wing of his party may become a sea of troubles.

Senator Gregg said late yesterday the controversy that erupted this week over the independence of the Census Bureau was "only a slight" reason for his withdrawal.

Still, the Democratic left had put in motion the events that led to this embarrassment, publicly suggesting that the Republican couldn't be trusted to conduct an honest 2010 census count.

The Census Bureau, which is part of Commerce, is one of the most rigorously nonpartisan operations in government and for years has fought off pressure from left-wing minority factions to adjust its count upward on their behalf.

Successions of bureau directors have resisted this pressure.

[GOP Poet]

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[skeeter]

Why didn't Judd just come out and say he couldn't savvy Obama's extreme leftism?

Why can't we republicans say what we think?

[webschooner]

... cause they’re wusses and they belong to the “Washingtonian class” and that is more important to them than anything else. In short, they are elitist snobs.

[FreepShop1]

Gregg can say what he wants to be a gentleman. But it is obvious the census fiasco spurred his exit. It can’t be the porkulus, since he took the job after the House had already passed it. Nothing else changed, except the census.

[scrabblehack]

I think reaction among Republicans was more hostile than he anticipated. R’s now see him as a quasi-traitor, and Dems see him as a wuss.

[johnnycap]

I disagree. I think Judd Gregg is well respected and will continue to be. I believe Gregg looked into the heart of darkness and what he saw was enough to make Joseph Conrad shudder. Wait til the whispers make the round.

This is very very bad.

[upchuck]

Here is Gregg's statement:

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.”

Link.