At his
press conference the other night, President Obama was patting
himself on the back for all the civility he was showing
Republicans:
"You know, when I made a series of overtures to the
Republicans, going over to meet with both Republican caucuses,
you know, putting three Republicans in my cabinet -- something
that is unprecedented..."
Not anymore, Mr. President!
Unless, of course, Arlen Specter agrees
to replace Judd Gregg as Commerce nominee. And that's the beauty
of Gregg's withdrawal. For all practical purposes, it was a
principled resignation, and when's the last time we saw that in
American politics? Cyrus Vance? But Vance vs. Brzezinski and
Carter was an internal dispute. This one was over fundamental
inter-party principles. The lesson to Republicans is that anyone
who serves a Democrat administration has to be prepared to defend
its policies, much like a vice-presidential candidate has to
suspend his own preferences on behalf of the presidential
nominee's. A conservative Republican like Gregg obviously had no
place in this anti-thetical environment. And so now he's
contributed hugely to the Republican relearning of what the GOP
is to stand for.
The Gregg affair also confirms how arrogantly fatuous and green
this new administration is. Obama throws a few dog biscuits at
Republicans and expects they will beg? While, for starters, Rahm
Emanuel and Chicago's undertakers take over the U.S. Census
Bureau?
