If a census recording had occurred on George Bush’s watch, and he had the process bypass the Secretary of Commerce and report directly to Karl Rove, what would the New York Times have to say about it?

[Afternoon update]

Judd Gregg has withdrawn from being Commerce Secretary, according to Fox News, and will stay in the Senate. I guess he didn’t like the thought of being treated like chopped liver when it came to the census. Another black eye for the administration’s cabinet appointment process.

[Update a couple minutes later]

“I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me.”

[Friday morning update]

Rick Moran:

The issue of the Census director reporting directly to the White House means that Gregg, as commerce secretary, would lose control of one of the major programs in the department. By, in effect, politicizing the Census, the Obama administration is throwing down the gauntlet and risking an all out war with congressional Republicans over the fruits of the national head count; redistricting the 535 congressional districts to reflect changes in population and the allocation of billions in federal spending. . . . Is this the real reason that Gregg decided to withdraw? Perhaps he felt he was being set up to be the front man for a Census that could cripple the Republican party for years to come and wanted no part of it. We may never know.

It doesn’t really matter. I’m just glad that he came to his senses.

[Bumped]

[A couple minutes later]

Byron York:

After he looked into it more, he said, ‘Whoa, this was a mistake.’” Plus this: “At the very least, the Census issue would have made for a very uncomfortable confirmation hearing. Gregg’s fellow Republicans on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee would certainly have asked him what he thought of a plan that would move control of the Census from professionals in the Commerce Department to Rahm Emanuel, the hyper-partisan White House chief of staff. What would Gregg have said? It was the stimulus problem all over again; Gregg couldn’t have said what he believed, but he probably couldn’t have brought himself to support the president, either.

Still waiting for all the outrage in the press about politicizing the census. Not holding my breath, though.