Well, that was weird. I guess the senatorial career and presidential aspirations of Bonnie Newman have been cut a bit short.
Gregg seems to have acquitted himself better at the press conference than in his statement which at first seemed to suggest that he was going to try and play Sir Thomas More in “A Man For All Seasons,” dying on a pyre to protect the sanctity of the Census from the politically expedient ruler.
I still think the Census thing has a slightly bogus quality to it. Gregg surely had more than enough clout to ensure that the Census Director, whoever it was, was someone he could live with even if the appointment was not his alone to make. It’s not like the President was going to force Terry McAuliffe or some Demohack on him.
The stimulus thing is a little odd, too, since the whole package moved in a more Collins-Snowey direction in the last week. He should have been more reconciled to the bill by week’s end, not less. But, that said, if he changed his mind for his own reasons or in part because he had raised eyebrows back home, then it’s probably better we know now.
I pitch Eric Schmidt for the job. It’s primarily a science job. NOAA is most of the budget. And then there’s the Census. What Google was meant for (albeit in a slightly creepy way).
