Hotline After Dark -- He's Just Not That Into You

"World News" led with the ruling saying there's no link between autism and childhood vaccines. "Evening News" led with Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) withdrawing his commerce secretary bid. "Nightly News" led with Gregg's withdrawal.

News that Gregg (R-NH) backed out of consideration for Pres. Obama's commerce sec. nominee was the major topic discussed last night.

CNN's Yellin: "Inside the White House tonight, there's a real sense of irritation over this. One angry Democrat close to the process told me that they feel like Gregg's decision to withdraw was erratic. I mean, Gregg says he changed his mind when he realized the president's politics were too different from his own and he just couldn't compromise."

CNN's Borger, in response: "I call him the runaway bride" ("No Bias, No Bull," 2/12).

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), on Gregg's announcement: "Obviously, it is a surprise, but not for the reasons that Senator Gregg indicated. We know he has strongly held views when it comes to fiscal policy. ... I know he feels very strongly about these issues and it's to his credit that he recognized that, acknowledged it, and made what was obviously a very difficult decision."

More Snowe, on whether she got an "inkling" Gregg might withdraw: "No, not at all. I did happen to see Senator Gregg in Leader [Harry] Reid's office yesterday just in passing but there was no discussion, no speculation whatsoever that this was about to happen" ("1600," MSNBC, 2/12).

Fortune's Easton: "This is a great loss, and I think the sad thing is it probably could have been avoided. I think if a stimulus plan had come out of Obama's shop rather than sending it to Congress and losing control over it, basically, I think you could have possibly kept a Judd Gregg onboard" ("Special Report," FNC, 2/12).

CBS' Schieffer: "This is either the weirdest thing that's happened in Washington, or we've found one honest man" ("Evening News," 2/12).

After the jump, more on Gregg, as well as the economic stimulus package

(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX)

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "I think it underscores the political culture in Washington and the philosophical divides is a -- deep, deep divisions, which the election of Barack Obama has not yet healed. And he's trying hard, but the chasm is so deep, so wide, and has been there so long, that it's going to take a long time, if ever, to change the culture. And it's one of our biggest problems as a nation" ("AC 360," CNN, 2/12).

Washington Post's Cillizza, on Obama's reaction: "My guess is, from the Obama White House, there's not going to be a lot of love lost for Judd Gregg. While I'm sure the president appreciates the kind words that the senator had for him, I think he'd rather have him as a commerce secretary as opposed to withdrawing" ("NewsHour," PBS, 2/12).

Newsweek's Fineman, on whether GOPers will accept Gregg again: "The Republicans will embrace him again. Maybe not trust him. But they'll love to embrace him because they will overlook the fool that he made of himself in order to be able to score some cheap political points against Barack Obama, which is precisely what they are trying to do tonight. Gregg looks like a fool but Obama looks like he was had. And that's not good for either party in the transaction" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 2/12).

National Journal's Brownstein: "It'll be interesting what this means for Gregg in 2010, because it reaffirms his partisanship in a state that is moving in the other direction" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 2/12).

CNN's Henry, on why this has become a big deal: "It only became a big deal because Bill Richardson did not get the secretary of state job. He was a little miffed, so [Obama] ... made a pretty big deal about how commerce secretary would have a key seat at the economic table. Then he had to drop out, so he brought in Judd Gregg, made a big deal about bipartisanship; this is going to be a big deal. Now he pulls out. And so it's almost like they have created the controversy a little bit, because they have really built up a job that previously was not that big of a deal" ("AC 360," 2/12).

FNC's Garrett, on the WH and Obama not being clear about whether they knew about Gregg's decision before he made the announcement or not: "That uneven response tells you, at least at the margins ... that the White House is still coping with what is now a huge vacancy at commerce, a broiling controversy over what his intentions were regarding the census, and what is clearly a wound they felt Judd Gregg opened on the stimulus."

More Garrett, on Obama referring to Gregg's announcement as a "surprise": "Of course, in every White House ... there is only one super senior administration official -- that being the president. And when he calls it a surprise, I guess it's a surprise" ("Special Report," FNC, 2/12).

CNBC's Harwood: "I think this ... makes all those Republicans who voted against the Obama stimulus package feel better about it and look better about it because it allows them to say, Look, we have fundamental differences of ideology and approach with this administration. And I think this is a very, very bad sign for the prospects for achieving things like entitlement reform and health care reform, both of which ... you need two parties sort of underneath a solution to prop it up and make it long-lasting."

New York Times' Sanger: "I thought this was an interesting take on team of rivals part two, because part one team of rivals was we want dissenting opinion. Part two, out of this, was we want dissenting opinion as long as you don't dissent from our positions or can't live with them. I think it tells you that there are limits to the bipartisanship they can have in the cabinet" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 2/12).

THERE'S NO "I" IN TEAM

Speaker Nancy Pelosi played "Hardball" last night.

Pelosi, on why she wasn't with Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid when he held the press conference to announce the agreement on the stimulus package: "Well, they had agreement among themselves. And we were pretty much in agreement. But they had just reached agreement, were eager to announce it. We wanted to see the language. And it all worked out just fine."

MSNBC's Matthews: "But Senator Reid said there was an agreement at that time. Was there, between the House and the Senate?"

Pelosi: "Pretty much. But, again, you have to see the language."

Matthews, on Specter, Snowe and Collins: "Why did [they] get the right to toy around with a bill of this importance historically? It seems like they get to decide what's in, what's out, and whether there is, in fact, a recovery bill. ... They were treated yesterday by the Senate majority leader as if they were the profiles in courage, the key people in passing this bill."

Pelosi: "Well, you have to talk to the Senate about profiles in courage over there, as well as the role they all played. ... This is the legislative process. We act. They act. We reconcile. ... As long as it was not undermining the purpose of our interest in school construction, unemployed workers, those kinds of issues, we were able to find compatibility."

More Pelosi: "But again, as far as the dynamic in the Senate is concerned, I have my hands filled as the speaker of the House juggling all of the interests here" (MSNBC, 2/12).

THEY TRIED TO MAKE ME SIGN THE BILL, I SAID NO, NO, NO

Newsweek's Fineman: "I think, despite some predictions that there will be a lot of Republicans voting on final passage for the bill, at the end, I think there are going to be very, very few. They've convinced themselves that there is some kind of virtue in the rejectionist unity that they've forged" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 2/12).

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), on how confident she is the stimulus will work: "I certainly do think it'll have an impact. ... We have to get lending occurring among the financial institutions and bankers and providing access to capital and credit to small businesses across this country. You have to have the lending happen. It has to go hand in hand with fiscal stimulus. The fiscal stimulus will not stand on its own without these other parts happening and most especially having credit activity begin. That's what hasn't happened and that is of deep concern to me. You can't have one without the other if we think we're going to jumpstart this economy" ("1600," MSNBC, 2/12).