I don’t know if this is too much an ‘Inside the Beltway’ story or just looking for ‘dirt,’  but some reporters and bloggers have been on to a ‘pay for play’ story involving Sen. Gregg and his staff that may well link him to the Abramoff scandal.

Whether this is the underlying reason for Sen. Gregg’s withdrawal or whether it had any bearing on his stepping down, only time and maybe some good reporting will tell us.  But it does seem strange to me that Sen. Gregg would back out simply because of the ‘heat in the kitchen’ of being a Republican in a Democratic administration.

Also, apparently Sen. Gregg has said he will not run again for the Senate in 2010. If he so much wants to be a Senator, why is he deciding not to run again?

Update: According to this, Sen. Gregg may have legal problems, and Pres. Obama may have dodged a problem.  Where is the mainstream media on this?