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Copyright by John T. Reed

Senator Gregg, a NH Republican was nominated Obama’s Commerce Secretary. Since he is a Republican and the governor of NH is a Democrat, Republicans were concerned that the governor would appoint a Democrat to replace Gregg thereby blowing up the ability of Republicans to stop any Democrat legislation.

The governor named Republican Bonnie Newman to replace Gregg.

Apparently, there was another deal under which Newman has agreed to serve only the remaining two years of Gregg's six-year Senate term.

Newman has supported the NH Democrat Lynch governor in his previous races.

Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold said the agreement is "alarmingly undemocratic" and wants to amend the Constitution to take the ability to appoint senators away from governors. I agree with Feingold, whom I generally regard as a Communist.

Newman was Assistant Secretary of Commerce for economic development for Reagan and in charge of administrative operations for the George H.W. Bush administration.

She was Gregg’s chief of staff to Gregg when he was a congressman in the 1980s, and she was one of the first Republicans to publicly endorse Democrat Lynch in his 2004 challenge of then-Republican Governor Craig Benson, and co-chaired Republicans for Lynch.

She was interim president for the University of New Hampshire in 2006 and 2007 and executive dean at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Excuse me.

Is this deal legal? Didn’t IL Governor Blagojevich just get fired for merely talking about making a deal about whom to appoint to fill Obama’s Senate seat?

What court will enforce this agreement or the agreement that Newman will not run for reelection?

Gregg’s term is up in 2010. Democrats want a Democrat to win that election. Being a Senator between now and then would greatly help a Republican to be elected in 2010—if she could run.

It appears that Newman is dubiously defined as a Republican considering that she opposed the Republican incumbent governor in favor of the Democrat challenger in the last election. I do not know enough about NH Republican politics to handicap which party will win the 2010 U.S. Senator race to replace Gregg/Newman, but I see no way that Newman’s agreeing not to run for the office after serving in it for two years is wise or encouraging.

It appears that Gregg placed bolstering his resume above his principles and thereby strengthened those who are determined to enact the sort of laws that Gregg has opposed his whole life. I am impressed with Obama’s shrewd picking off of a Republican senator without even needing to win an election to do so. I am astonished that Gregg sold his principles out so cheap (Commerce Secretary?—can you name any Commerce Secretary in the history of the U.S.?) and that his fellow Republicans are, or pretend to be, OK with it.

On 2/11/09, pointing to his opposition to the “stimulus” bill and having the Census Bureau report to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel instead of the to the Commerc Secretary as in the past, Gregg said never mind. He will stay in the Senate afer all. Barack can go find another nominee for Commerce—his third. The first was Bill Richardson.

I appreciate informed, well-thought-out constructive criticism and suggestions. If there are any errors or omissions in my facts or logic, please tell me about them. If you are correct, I will fix the item in question. If you wish, I will give you credit. Where appropriate, I will apologize for the error. To date, I have been surprised at how few such corrections I have had to make.