Republicans truly did consider Sen. Judd Gregg (NH) one of their most effective strategists, both on policy and politics, and they’ll miss him in leadership meetings now that Gregg has accepted the Commerce Secretary nod. As Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) acknowledged this morning on CNBC’s “Kudlow & Cramer”:
ENSIGN: To me, I told Judd this. I think Judd’s one of our best strategists. He’s a great thinker. And I think it’s a mistake for him to leave the U.S. Senate.
REPORTER: I was afraid of that. … Come on, Senator, rally the troops. Unified bill. The time is now. Profiles in courage.
Here’s a challenge: Can anyone name a substantive similarity between Obama’s first choice for Commerce Secretary and his second one?