Hey, remember when Obama wanted Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary?

And remember when a bunch of groups got freaked out about it because it meant that a Republican would be instantly aware of any organized shenanigans designed to muck about with the Census?

And remember when the President hastily pandered to those groups by declaring that Gregg wouldn’t be overseeing the Census?

And remember how Gregg then – and quite rightly – told the President what he could do with his Cabinet position?

Remember all that?

“No! No! No!” he yelled out. “You can’t make that type of statement with any legitimacy. You cannot make that statement.”

Gregg then held up a guideline for the TARP, which he helped write in 2008 to keep the country from further economic collapse.

“This is the law,” he said. “Let me tell you what the law says. Let me read to you again because you don’t appear to understand the law. The law is very clear. The monies recouped from the TARP shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury for the reduction of the public debt. It’s not for a piggy bank because you’re concerned about lending to small businesses and you want to get a political event when you go out and make a speech in Nashua, N.H.”

(Via The Other McCain & Pundit & Pundette) Do you think that Peter Orszag is regretting right now how that all turned out?  I think that he’s regretting right now how that all turned out.