How big a mistake was it to nominate Judd Gregg?

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), on President Obama’s Mother Of All Deficits:

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Even though he was almost a member of the new Obama administration, New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg Sunday slammed President Obama’s approach to handling the country’s fiscal outlook.

“The practical implications of this is bankruptcy for the United States,” Gregg said of the Obama’s administration’s recently released budget blueprint. “There’s no other way around it. If we maintain the proposals that are in this budget over the ten-year period that this budget covers, this country will go bankrupt. People will not buy our debt, our dollar will become devalued. It is a very severe situation.”

Gregg is the Republican who President Obama nominated for Commerce Secretary. He first accepted, then withdrew, citing disagreements with the “stimulus” bill and with Obama’s plans to politicize the Census.

Now his status as a coulda-been shoulda-been woulda-been Cabinet member is giving him major cred on the economy. Ask yourself: is it news that a Republican Senator is criticizing Obama? No. But a Cabinet nominee who withdrew over disagreements? Yes.

And Obama can hardly disparage the guy, can he? Can Obama call him – Obama’s own Cabinet pick – a moron and a liar?

Reporter: “Mr. President, if Senator Gregg is such an idiot as you’ve portrayed him, why did you nominate him to your Cabinet?”

Obama: “Haven’t you been paying attention? Another idiot would fit right in.”

I predict that bipartisan Cabinet nominations will now go into hiding for at least the next 8 years.