Judd Gregg’s message to Mr. Obama

New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg just did President Barack Obama a huge favor.

He clarified, once and for all, the fact that the Republican Party is ideologically immune to bipartisan overtures.

Sen. Gregg is a relatively moderate lawmaker from a relatively moderate state. He’s no fire-breather, as his winsome withdrawal speech made clear.

But the philosophy of his party is so starkly different from Mr. Obama’s vision of where the country should go that Sen. Gregg simply couldn’t go along.

Consider for a moment how dramatic that decision is.

Sen. Gregg had the opportunity to influence one of the most important policy debates in post-War American history.

He might have worked from within the Democratic administration to shape and soften some of the economic provisions that he disapproves of.

If Mr. Obama proves to be successful, then Sen. Gregg and the GOP would have helped to avert a dire economic disaster.

It’s also worth pointing out that the latest polls show that the stimulus measure is still broadly popular.

What’s more, Mr. Obama is pushing a range of measures (government interventions in the marketplace, stimulus spending, etc.) that Republican presidents have embraced in the past — including Richard Nixon, George W. Bush and George Bush Sr.

Democrats can also point to substantive points of compromise in the bill, which attracted the support of three other Northeastern Senators.

If Joe Lieberman and Arlen Specter support it, then it can hardly be outside the mainstream of American politics.

But the Republican Party as a whole still very much wants the country to go in a different direction.

And unless Barack Obama is willing to follow them, he should take Sen. Gregg’s message to heart.