5. Judd Gregg
Sen. Gregg (R-N.H.) began the year as the next face of bipartisanship. President Obama nominated Gregg, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, as the next secretary of commerce. Then in February, Gregg pulled himself out of the running, citing differences of opinion between himself and the administration. But Gregg’s quitting didn’t stop there. The senator also made the surprise announcement that he would not be running for reelection in 2010, avoiding a potentially difficult race for himself but weakening his party’s chances of holding his seat.
