Obama gives Gregg official Commerce nod

by Frank James

In another demonstration of his desire to set aside the partisanship that has for years defined Washington, President Barack Obama formally announced that Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire was his choice for Commerce Secretary.

The president's decision to choose Gregg came as Obama sought to regain traction on his nearly $1 trillion dollar economic stimulus proposal which has come under increasing Republican criticism, with GOP lawmakers questioning whether Obama's package would actually work to boost the flagging economy and panning some of the spending as wasteful.

Obama noted that he and Gregg had areas of disagreement. "Clearly Judd and I don't agree on every issue, most notably, who should have won the election," he said, an allusion to Gregg's strong support for the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

"But we do agree on the urgent need to get American businesses and families back on their feet," Obama said. "We see eye to eye on conducting the nation's business in a responsible, transparent and accountable manner. And we know the only way to solve the great challenges of our time is put aside stale ideology and petty partisanship and embrace what works."

Gregg, currently in his third term in the Senate, echoed Obama's words. "We are... in the middle of a very difficult economic time..." Gregg said. "This is not a time for partisanship. This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout at each other. This is a time to govern and govern well."

The mostly conservative New Hampshire senator's name was floated late last week as a possibility to fill the vacancy in Obama's cabinet. But he was concerned that his departure from the Senate would allow the New Hampshire's Democratic Gov. John Lynch to appoint a Democrat fill Gregg's seat, getting Democrats one seat closer to the 60-seat majority they would need to push controversial legislation through the Senate. At present, they have 58 seats.

In an extraordinary move, Lynch agreed to name a Republican in order to keep the present partisan balance in the Senate.

Obama began his announcement of Gregg's naming by making a renewed pitch for his economic stimulus plan. "Now's the time for Washington to act with the same sense of urgency that Americans all across the country feel every single day. With the stakes this high, we cannot afford to get trapped in the same old partisan gridlock."

Gregg wasn't Obama's first choice for the post, that having been New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat who was Obama's primary rival. But Richardson's nomination ran into difficulties because of an investigation into an alleged pay-for-play scheme involving his office.

Gregg would make the third Republican or Republican-leaning member of Obama's cabinet. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a registered independent, has served in Republican administration's, most recently as former President George W. Bush's Pentagon chief. Also, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was a Republican House member from Peoria, Ill.