I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
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Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Sen. Judd Gregg, who was President Barack Obama’s latest choice for commerce secretary, has withdrawn his nomination.
Obama nominated the New Hampshire Republican after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew because of a federal investigation into pay-for-play allegations involving CDR Financial Products.
In a statement, Gregg said: “I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census, there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately, we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded to the news with a statement of his own:
“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”.
Marc Ambinder, political blogger for The Atlantic, said the announcement came as a surprise to the White House. “The press office found out about it at about the same time as the world did,” Ambinder wrote.
Gregg did not vote for the stimulus bill after recusing himself.
Republicans complained loudly when the White House announced that the U.S. Census, normally under the purview of the secretary of commerce, would instead be under the direction of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Matt Cooper of Talking Points Memo says that another factor in the withdrawal was pressure from the New Hampshire Republican Party.
A couple of sources in New Hampshire politics chalk it up to the abuse Gregg was taking over the past few weeks, first from some on the right for going into the liberal Obama administration and then from all sides for being too cute about the stimulus package, abstaining from voting for or against it. Gregg was ridiculed in New Hampshire’s most important newspaper, the Union Leader.
This is the third Obama Cabinet nominee to withdraw his nomination. Tom Daschle withdrew from his nomination to become secretary of health after questions surfaced about his tax returns.
