Gregg's out
February 14th 2009 05:31
Obama lost yet another nominee for Commerce Secretary. His first nominee, Bill Richardson, withdrew his name after it was revealed that he was the subject of a pay-for-play investigation. Now, Judd Gregg (R-NH) is out:
While Gregg cited the stimulus as one of the reasons for stepping aside, I have to believe that the census was the largest factor. The makeup of the stimulus bill was already firmly established when Gregg started down this path. However, the White House made a move to involve itself in the census AFTER Gregg was nominated for the post. In doing so, Obama and Rahm Emanuel sent a clear message to Gregg that they didn't trust him with that responsibility. Also, such a raw power grab demonstrated exactly how much clout (or lack thereof) Gregg would have in the Commerce Department. Why would they even bother nominating a Republican to that post if they didn't trust him to do it fairly and correctly? It was a slap in the face of a man that they claimed to support.
So, once again, Obama has no one to blame but himself this latest Cabinet snafu.
New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg withdrew from consideration as Commerce secretary Thursday, saying his differences with the Democratic White House ran too deep.
While Gregg cited the stimulus as one of the reasons for stepping aside, I have to believe that the census was the largest factor. The makeup of the stimulus bill was already firmly established when Gregg started down this path. However, the White House made a move to involve itself in the census AFTER Gregg was nominated for the post. In doing so, Obama and Rahm Emanuel sent a clear message to Gregg that they didn't trust him with that responsibility. Also, such a raw power grab demonstrated exactly how much clout (or lack thereof) Gregg would have in the Commerce Department. Why would they even bother nominating a Republican to that post if they didn't trust him to do it fairly and correctly? It was a slap in the face of a man that they claimed to support.
So, once again, Obama has no one to blame but himself this latest Cabinet snafu.
| 51 |
| Vote |
Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
Comment by NoaIzumi
Fine Politics
Anime Bottle
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
Gregg figured he could take the job and make it a meaningful department. Obama emasculated the position, though.
Of course, why would Obama nominate someone who had called for Commerce to be dissolved? That doesn't make sense, either.