Obama names Secretary of Commerce

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama nominated Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary on Tuesday, a bipartisan gesture that the Democratic president stressed was necessary with the economy in a virtual free fall. "Clearly Judd and I don't agree on every issue, most notably who should have won the election," Obama said in the White House's grand foyer with Gregg and Vice President Joe Biden at his side. "But we do agree on the urgent need to get American businesses and families back on their feet. ... We know the only way to solve the great challenges of our time is to put aside stale ideology and petty partisanship and embrace what works." Gregg, in turn, praised Obama's $800 billion-plus proposal to stabilize the economic slide and pull the country out of recession as an "extraordinarily bold, aggressive, effective and comprehensive plan." "This is not a time for partisanship," the New Hampshire senator said. "This is not a time when we should stand in our ideological corners and shout. This is a time to govern, and govern well." If confirmed by the Senate, Gregg would take over a sprawling Commerce Department tasked not just with job creation, but also with conducting the 2010 Census. The department includes the Patent and Trademark Office, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, whose duties include weather forecasting and climate research. Gregg would be the third Republican in Obama's Cabinet, joining Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS