…has withdrawn his name from consideration for Commerce Secretary.
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.
Editorial comment: What a dick.
This cabinet position is harder to fill than the drumming spot in Spinal Tap.
Why is he a dick? Seems like he’s just being honest.
And liberals were already counting that Senate seat in the D column.
darn!
So Obama debased himself offering the spot to a guy who won’t even vote for the stimulus then the guy stiffs Obama.
Eh. He’s a dick. He should’ve been honest from the get-go. I mean, sheesh. NOW he realizes there are policy differences? He didn’t realize that before? Being honest and pulling out BEFORE you’re nominated is cool. Doing it like this is just being a dick.
Cheers.
@3,
No, we weren’t. Grow a brain, will ya?
@2: Obama hasn’t exactly been quiet about his financial intentions from the git-go. This guy had ample information about his potential boss’s opinions, and he pulls out now, in public? That = dick to me.
The hour of Obama raining heavy (nonpartisan) blows upon them while I clap like a happy little (nonpartisan) girl draws nigh. Nigher, anyway.
Translation: I wants my insane payouts for graft.
Yahoo!!!
In related news, a man who wants to be re-elected US Senator in 2010 was unable to identify the political party of the President of the United States before accepting a cabinet job with him.
Dicks are pleasant things, or can be…at the very least they are necessary and useful.
Let’s call him an anal wart.
Again the Republicans rebuff Obama.
Boo, Republicans. Hiss.
Another case in point against bipartisanship with Republican nutjobs. There are no moderates left in the party. Let them scream themselves hoarse. They have nothing constructive to offer.
Dead girl or live boy.
He campaigned for this job. Somebody found something.
@7: commerce-itus interruptus publicus.
Onanism, wherefore God slew him also?
So much for bipartisanship.
At least Obama is trying.
@11:
He doesn’t want to be re-elected to the Senate either.
Should be a good pickup in 2010.
Gregg looks like a petulant child. Obama continues to make the GOP rubes think his bipartisan efforts are sincere.
This just makes 2012 easier.
i’ll take “gay sex scandal” for 100, alex.
ooh!! a daily double!!!
Obama’s been caught trying to be bipartisan! Now he can move on. I hope he steamrolls right over the R’s.
It was the Census, clearly. The Republicans were desperate to get someone in Commerce who could underfund the Census (again), to make sure there were no new House seats allocated in Democratic districts. It was announced recently that the Census was being pulled out of Commerce. As soon as they heard that, the Republicans couldn’t get Gregg out of there soon enough.
Now, here’s my really tin-foil-hat theory: they never intended Gregg to accept. They gave him a poison pill quite deliberately, knowing it would queer the deal. They got to lend lip service to the bipartisan rhetoric, but they’re not stuck with a Neanderthal in Commerce. Damned canny, I call it. I gotta love Chicago machine politics. 🙂 ‘Bout time we had Democrats with some skill at the game.