Can’t anybody in the media get this story right? The second paragraph of the front page NY Times story reads:
The departure of Mr. Gregg is the latest setback to a White House that has struggled to fill several top positions and to fulfill Mr. Obama’s pledge of building a bipartisan administration.
Not!
Seriously, Gregg was a dreadful choice (see “Is a possible 60th Senate seat worth a not-very-green GOP Commerce Secretary?“). His choice was an unforced error, one that marred Obama’s amazing energy team.
Plus, Gregg is obviously someone who doesn’t think through his big decisions before makes them — a very bad quality in a Cabinet Secretary. As the AP reports stunningly:
In an interview with The Associated Press, Gregg said, “For 30 years, I’ve been my own person in charge of my own views, and I guess I hadn’t really focused on the job of working for somebody else and carrying their views, and so this is basically where it came out.”
Gregg, 61, said he changed his mind after realizing he wasn’t ready to “trim my sails” to be a part of Obama’s team….
He told the AP he foresaw conflicts over health care, global warming and taxes.
Ya think?
Seriously, Judd, is it only now dawning on you that Obama doesn’t share your views on key issues like global warming? Obama’s publically stated views could not have been clearer (see Obama: “The science is beyond dispute… Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response.”). Same for his other Administration picks (see Obama’s strongest message on climate yet: John Holdren to be named Science Adviser).
Thank goodness Jane Lubchenco isn’t going to be reporting to this guy (see For NOAA head, Obama appoints yet another scientist who gets climate).
Now let’s just hope Obama has figured out that conservatives aren’t interested in bipartisanship on the key issues of commerce, economics, clean energy, and global warming — and picks a green Commerce Secretary.
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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Don’t let the door slam…
third time’s a charm….let’s hope.
Judd’s public reason for declining is not likely the real reason…this is, after all, Washington. The real reason, I suspect, is pressure from the GOP not to cooperate, in their spirit of to-hell-with-what’s-good-for-the-country partisanship. (Not that Judd would have been good for the country, but you get the point.)
Can we get Richardson back? Let’s hope his name is cleared soon.
Thanks for publishing this side of the story and taking a positive stance on this that’s contrarian to the general media out there. This should be published to the talking heads on CNN (Rick Sanchez?) so this view gets more publicity.
When the Republicans were chanting “Country First” which country did they have in mind? Were they thinking of Republicanistan First!
You know the real reason the repubs wont vote for the stimulus bill…
they are afraid that Obama is going to spend it all on Climate Change and they just cant bear it!
(Also they still can’t admit Al Gore was right and support anything he promotes).
The headline of this piece was what I thought to as I whoopped around the livingroom Thank-you Gregg for letting us off the hook! Next Obama needs to just forget getting along with the GOP. Stack and rack all the stuff we really need, push it through the house now while the Dem’s are feeling powerful and giddy because they can pass what they want and make the GOP look stupid (As if they needed help with that) Also start the campain (on purpose) to get the moss backs out of the Senate.