BREAKING: Judd Gregg withdraws as Commerce Secretary

By GottaLaff

Talking to the press on TV now. Liveblogging.

He says it would be too difficult to serve in any cabinet and not be "110% of the team". "The president has been incredibly gracious... he has aggressively reached out across the aisle, and I immensely respect that and respect him. It's not about that... but it wasn't a good fit. I wasn't comfortable with that. With that in mind, I withdrew. It was unfair in many ways to do that, but if I couldn't do the job the way it should be done... [it would have been a mistake]. I believe I might be more effective [not as a part of his cabinet]."

I will "carry his water in the Senate" in other ways. ... "It was a bridge too far from me. He asked me to do it, I said yes, that was my mistake... maybe his... but it was my mistake. ... [I wouldn't be able to be a team player.]"

"The census wasn't a major issue, it was a slight issue. ...I probably won't run again."

"The president is doing an incredible job with the stimulus. I think the plan will work when it gets the detail behind it.... When the market takes a look at what's proposed, the market will react very positively..."

I made a mistake, I should have focused sooner and more effectively on being a member of the cabinet instead of doing my job. This came very quickly, over a period of a week and a half. My genuine belief that this will be a good presidency is what caused me to say yes...

[It took awhile for me to focus... I realized I had to join the team.]