U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey toiled in obscurity as a back-bench member of Congress.

Then he thrust himself onto the front pages simply by declining to endorse his party’s effort to impeach Donald Trump. He said he would vote “no” on impeachment articles when the issue reaches the full House of Representatives.

So now he is switching from the Democratic to Republican Party.

Are you surprised? Neither am I. Are you disappointed? Me, neither on that one, too.

Van Drew is likely to be among a handful of House Democrats who will vote “no” on whether to impeach the president. That’s their call. There’s no need to argue the point here. My feelings on the president’s conduct are known to those who read this blog.

I suppose my major takeaway from Van Drew’s pending decision is that he has found a way to make a name for himself well beyond his congressional district.