So Republican Senator Judd Gregg has decided to back away from becoming President Obama's Commerce Secretary. He's miraculously gone from goat to hero among his naysaying colleagues, who now attach some extraordinary significance to the fact that one of their number says he can't work with a Democratic president.
Gee, you just found out Obama's a Democrat? You didn't know his agenda when you said you'd take the gig in the first place? If this is truly the end of bipartisanship, you can't blame Obama. The media will spend much of today speculating about when the president knew Gregg had a change of heart. Hey. other than the stimulus, it's been a slow news week.
If the Gregg withdrawal is a symbol of Republican resistance to the stimulus and other Obama initiatives, so be it. Let Gregg and his pals come up with something better, something smarter, something that has even a small chance of helping the struggling, every day American.
Gregg's "I can't serve because I can't stand the stimulus" blather is just that, nonsensical partisan politics at its lowest. However, lest you think I'm dumping on all things GOP as we head into Valentine's and President's day weekend, consider the polar opposite of Judd Gregg.
His name is Anh "Joseph" Cao. He's the first Vietnamese member of Congress, the guy who sent New Orleans' William Jefferson into retirement. He's also publicly proclaimed that the needs of his district outweigh the need to stand with his colleagues on the stimulus bill. That's right. He says he'll vote for it.
When he upset Jefferson just this past November, Republicans touted Cao's ascension as a new day for GOP politics. No more could the party be pigeonholed as a white male bastion of privilege. If Cao holds true to his word, you think they may want to change their minds?
As for Judd Gregg, no big loss. Team Obama can find a replacement in short order. True, the Commerce job has been a bit of a problem, with Bill Richardson and now Gregg pulling out. Yet if you believe all things happen for a reason, you've got to believe Obama will get it right the third time.
Who do you think President Obama should nominate as Commerce Secretary? Does the person have to be a Republican?
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