From today's NYT article on Gregg's withdrawal:
The departure of Mr. Gregg is the latest setback to a White House that has struggled to fill several top positions and to fulfill Mr. Obama’s pledge of building a bipartisan administration.
[snip]
But the political fallout is left to the White House, which now has a string of appointees who have stepped aside over vetting problems, unpaid taxes or philosophical differences with Mr. Obama. Since the president took office last month, not a week has passed without the White House responding to a personnel crisis. [Emphasis added.]
It's the Commerce Secretary! Seriously, Daschle at HHS is/was a crisis; Obama could keep the top Commerce job open for his whole first term and I really don't know if anyone outside the Commerce Department would notice. What's more, this notion that Gregg's withdrawal means that Obama has struggled to fulfill his pledge of a bipartisan administration is overwrought. Just by keeping Gates on at the Pentagon, Obama pretty much fulfilled that pledge. Throw in LaHood in the Norm Minetta role at Transportation, and Obama's done more than enough to fulfill that pledge. Indeed, until Richardson withdrew, it looked like there'd be only two Republicans in Obama's cabinet. Gregg was just an added bonus--almost an afterthought. His withdrawal doesn't really change the bipartisan equation.
I realize everything takes on an added sense of importance once it starts happening in the White House, but I think the Republic--and Obama--will withstand the departure of Judd Gregg.
--Jason Zengerle