THE HILL: Judd Gregg’s withdrawal jolts Obama. He’s had a tough time with appointments, but at least Gregg paid his taxes. More on the Gregg withdrawal here.

UPDATE: “White House Gobsmacked?” When they pulled the census from Commerce, they made Gregg’s position untenable. Then there’s the stimulus chicanery. Locking Republicans out doesn’t foster bipartisan moves. But, apparently, they didn’t see this coming. Chalk that up to inexperience, I guess.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Ann Althouse: “So who decided to go partisan: Obama or Gregg or both? Doesn’t the stimulus package have to be seen as partisan at this point? The Republicans must define themselves in contrast to it, and the Democrats need to defend it boldly as their own work. We have a 2-party system. That’s a good thing.”