IT WAS THE SMOOTHEST TRANSITION IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLIC...:

Gregg Withdraws As Commerce Pick: Republican Senator Cites Policy Disagreements As Congress Prepares to Vote on Stimulus Plan (Anne E. Kornblut and Michael D. Shear, 2/13/09, Washington Post)

The episode underscored how burdensome Cabinet selection has become for the new administration, which has watched nearly half a dozen of its top appointees withdraw or face embarrassing scrutiny over the past several weeks. The slip-ups have caused the White House to revamp its vetting process and have slowed down confirmations for nominees already in the pipeline.

And now Obama is left with two key openings -- at the departments of Commerce and Health and Human Services -- and more questions about his personnel choices.

Gregg's withdrawal comes as Congress prepares for final passage of a $789 billion stimulus package; Obama previously got no Republican votes for the legislation in the House and only three in the Senate.

...right up until W actually left office and the UR took over....

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 13, 2009 7:58 AM