Judd Gregg, the Republican senator who suddenly withdrew himself as a nominee for Commerce Secretary, "feels very strongly" that President Obama is on the right economic track.
"He's going to be a very strong President, in my opinion," he said in an interview on CNBC Friday.
Nevertheless, he maintained that philosophical differences over long term fiscal policy were too great for him to be a true team player in the President's Cabinet.
"Basically, I have very strong philosophical views, and they're pretty fiscally conservative," Sen. Gregg said. "For me to go into the cabinet, and be the type of team player you have to be, and support the President the way you need to, 100 percent of the time, would have been very difficult."