Posted on 04/25/2009 2:17:06 AM PDT by Scanian
Sen. Judd Gregg is perhaps best known for something he didn't do. Two weeks into the Obama administration, he announced that he was leaving the Senate to become commerce secretary. Two weeks later, he withdrew his name, drawing a testy jab from the administration for denying it a bipartisan feather in its cap.
It's hard to reconcile the man who nearly boarded the Obama express with the tough-minded Republican senator who sat across from The Wall Street Journal's editorial board at our offices earlier this week. As for the lessons he learned from his dalliance with the administration, he reserves his criticism for himself: "I should have been smart enough to see the daylight before I walked in the door. . . . I don't think there's any big lesson here for anybody but myself, which is the obvious: It would have been impossible for me to be with the president 100% of the time, which is what a cabinet secretary has to be."
Just how obvious that should have been became clear in the course of our interview. Also obvious, Mr. Gregg said, was that the Obama administration is filled with "really capable, dedicated, smart, sharp people with an agenda that they intend to pursue aggressively."
The kind words mostly stop there. From health care to global warming, financial regulation, spending and tax policy, Mr. Gregg doesn't pull any punches in his criticism of the new president. He may be "a charismatic person" with "a very strong understanding of who he is and what he wants to do," but when it comes to the substance of what Mr. Obama seeks to accomplish, Mr. Gregg is less charitable. "They have a goa
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Thanks for posting that. I never knew much about Sen. Gregg before his flirtation with the administration. I wish he could be convinced to run for re-election.
In the run-up to the election, I explained a personal concept to my (formerly) left wing b/f. Don’t fret; he’s been properly converted. LOL It is the concept of the “spite vote.”
Hope I don’t get banned here...cuz I’m making a point. I explained to him that a “spite vote” (against the war or whatever the grievance of the day is) is a lot like a “spite f*ck.” He asked me to explain.
I reminded him that sometimes, a vote we make to get even with the previous administration for a wrong, will end up screwing us over in the end. Now, he is a teacher in Chicago, so the pressure on him is great. Thus a vote for Obama (which he did not make) is a “spite vote” against GWB.
The I reminded him on the phenomenon of the “Spite f*ck” which is someone hooking up with their best friends’ gal after you’ve had a blow up with him. It might feel good right then, for purposes of revenge. However, it also means that you wake up tomorrow wondering if you might have contracted an STD. Thus, the danger of a “spite f*ck.” It’s identical to a spite vote. Feels righteous and cool and revengeful at the moment; sanity (and the next morning) makes us realize it wasn’t exactly brilliant.
And now we have to wonder if we got an STD (Barack Obama).
The people who voted for Obama have seen his deficiencies, and still they stand by him.
In their hearts they know they are wrong ,but they just cannot bring themselves to admit it.
However after listening to McCain after the election I have to say we really had no choice. McCain would have sucked just as bad.
Daisyjane...that was pretty good...I like your analogy...
You speak the truth, my FRiend.
My b/f cannot believe the hero-worship he is seeing aroung him in Chicago. Mind you, Obama was no big deal in Chicago, until now. I’m afraid for my sweetie, because he is losing lifelong friends. All because he isn’t drinking the Kool-Aid.It is an angry and mean trend. These people regard him the way they regard a child.
My sweetie’s entire family has turned to the dark side; he faces nothing but ememies. To his credit, he is giving no quarter to the nutjobs.
I am starting to wish I could convince him to move. He needs relief from the grief.
You are right.
I guess I was a little too ticked off during the conversation.
I don’t mind being reminded to be “ladylike” however :)
Will read later
IF Gregg ran for re-election, he’d win in a landlside.
I hope he may reconsiders.
I’ve made the arguement numerous times that Obama was elected largely by a spite vote directed against Bush. The sexual analogy, however, is your 100% original contribution, my friend!
Have to disagree with you. Do you think McCain would be conducting a political witch hunt by releasing CIA memos and threatening prosecution? Do you think that McCain would have rushed to withdraw from Iraq because he claimed Afghanistan to be the real war, all the while without a viable strategy to win in Afghanistan. Do you think McCain would have allowed reports that denigrated our military to come out of our DHS?
I can go on and on, but no matter what your opinion of McCain is, he would not have sucked just as bad. Sounds like something I hear from my dad who is a lifelong straight ticket Dem voter.
McCain would have spent most of his time sucking up to the liberals in the Congress and calling it being bi-partisan, while they shoved this same crap down our throats.
Would have have screwed over the CIA ?/ probably not.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.