A matter of principle — Commerce nominee steps down

In a  startling development, President Obama’s latest nominee for the head of the Commerce Department withdrew his name from consideration – not because of tax returns or a federal investigation, but on principle.

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) in a statement today said that he was removing himself as a nominee because of “irresolvable conflicts” between him and the Obama Administration. He didn’t go into details except to mention the issues of the stimulus package and the Census.

Reading his bio on his website, one can get the idea that Gregg possibly couldn’t stomach the nearly $1 trillion stimulus package that is filled with pork.. His bio states:

As the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Gregg continues to emphasize the critical importance of a fiscally responsible federal budget — one that will fund U.S. defense and homeland security needs while controlling overall federal spending, so that future generations can inherit a government they can afford. Senator Gregg will work with other leaders in Congress to aggressively reduce the size of our federal budget deficit while addressing the rate of growth of entitlements.

If indeed that is the case, three cheers for a principled politician.