Judd Gregg for Commerce?

The Obama administration has been looking for a replacement for Bill Richardson ever since Richardson withdrew himself from consideration for Commerce after it came to light that his donors were being investigated by the feds. Now comes word that Obama is considering N.H. Republican Judd Gregg:

President Barack Obama is considering picking Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire as commerce secretary, a Democratic source said on Thursday.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the selection process, said Obama and his aides "are definitely looking at Gregg. It's not a done deal, but they're asking key senators if he would be acceptable."

Gregg was mum on whether he was being considered for the post, telling Reuters, "I have no comment."

White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said no decision had been made on the commerce job. "We're not playing the name game," he said.

This raises the possibility that N.H. Governor John Lynch would appoint a Democrat to fill Gregg's shoes in the Senate, thus giving Democrats the prized 60-seat majority. Of course, this would also be highly unpopular and I'm not sure how wise it would be to replace a Republican with a Democrat who would have trouble surviving an election. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.