Judd Gregg last week:
"I have recused myself from voting during the pendency of my nomination," Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, told CNBC.
Earlier in the program he said he was "not really engaged in the stimulus bill," but that he did believe "we need one."
"We need a robust one," he added. "I think the one that's pending is in the range we need. I do believe it's a good idea to do it at two levels, which this bill basically does, which is immediate stimulus and long-term initiatives which actually improve our competitiveness and our productivity."
Got that? Judd Gregg publicly supporting the administration, the need for the stimulus bill, and that stimulus bill as the right solution for the economic problems facing the country.
CNN a little while ago:
A Democratic source close to the Obama White House said Thursday that Judd Gregg "campaigned for the job" — that the New Hampshire senator had asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to approach the president about the Commerce post.
Gregg "sat with [Obama], said he wanted the job, knew his policies and erratically dropped out without warning," said the source, minutes after the Republican senator announced his withdrawal from consideration.
Gregg sought out the administration, pitched himself for the position, and then lobbied for it.
Judd Gregg today:
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.
And on the record, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs:
"Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President's agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama's key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart".
Gregg sought out the position. He knew the policies. He said he could accept and support them. He publicly supported the stimulus package. And now he's saying it had become apparent to him he couldn't do something that he had already agreed to do and in fact had done publicly.
The White House source in the CNN article is right that Gregg was erratic. But in another sense, Gregg is being consistent. He's always been a rightwing Republican, and like those Republicans aligned with the right wing of their party, their allegiance to the right wing of their party is more powerful than their commit to look out for the good of all the country.