Gregg rises in my estimation

I always considered New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg to be a garden-variety eastern RINO (Republican In Name Only). His father Hugh was the New Hampshire Governor who helped torpedo Sen. Robert Taft's nomination for president in 1952 in favor of liberal Dwight Eisenhower. Gregg himself is the one who lobbied George Bush I to nominate liberal David Souter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Gregg has been a relatively quiet, non-descript Senator, fitting in with the Hugh Scotts, Jacob Javits, Nelson Rockefellers, Olympia Snows, Susan Collins and Arlan Spectors of the world. The conservatives in New Hampshire were the Sununus, Gov. John the father and White House Chief of Staff, and Sen. John, the son, who the liberals torpedoed in this last election.

It was no surprise to me at all, then, for Judd Gregg to accept Barack Obama's appointment as Commerce Secretary. Just like former Illinois Rep. Ray LaHood, the new Transportation Secretary, both were from the port side of the party. The only mildly shocking thing was that Gregg demanded a deal be cut for the Democratic Governor of New Hampshire to appoint a Republican to fill out his term in the Senate.

As the Valley Girls would say "you could gag me with a rag" today, when Gregg withdrew as the nominee for Commerce Secretary and chose to remain a Senator from New Hampshire. He exhibited character, principle and backbone I never would have believed he had.

After seeing the pork-laden Economic Stimulus bill, rather than shut up and roll over as Republicans have done for the last eight years, Gregg said he could never vote for it or defend it. And the plan by Obama to take the Census Bureau out of the Department of Commerce and run it directly from the White House, to be sure minorities are counted "accurately" in the 2010 census, drove him over the edge.

Census figures, of course, govern the apportionment of congressional seats and the divvying-up of welfare funds to the states.
The Community Organizer in Chief recognizes this first and foremost, and was determined to see that it went his way.

For Judd Gregg to rise up on such matters of principle is exemplary--and totally unexpected.