President Barack H. Obama
The Briefing Room Blog - http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
President Obama extended a political olive branch to the GOP Tuesday, nominating Sen. Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire, to head the Commerce Department. "Clearly, Judd and I don't agree on every issue, most notably who should've won the [presidential] election," Obama joked in announcing the nomination, "but we do agree on the urgent need to get American businesses and families back on their feet."
Gregg will be an "able, persuasive ambassador for industry" because he is a skillful negotiator and a "master of reaching across the aisle to get things done," Obama said.
Gregg, a third-term Republican known for being fiscally conservative, thanked Obama for taking the "rather extraordinary step of asking me to join your administration." He lauded Obama's "bold and aggressive, effective and comprehensive plan for how we can get this country moving.".
