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Scrapping along the heels of my better-sourced colleagues, here's the fake-ish news of the day:
- Hillary Clinton accepts Secretary of State offer. Or so sez The New York Timers, which would not run with their very decisive lede if they didn't have it down cold. Right? This is a strong choice for Obama, presuming that he has made clear that it will be his foreign policy, not hers, and also that the White House will retain a significant role in choosing deputies. Ensuring the right candidates fill the middle-levels of the State Department is a key step towards fully implementing Obama's foreign policy vision, as Spencer Ackerman explains here.
- Tim Geithner will be Secretary of the Treasury. This from MSNBC's Chuck Todd, who thinks that Obama will announce his economic team on Monday. The choice is not all that surprising; Geithner has acquitted himself reasonably well throughout the financial crisis as President of the New York Fed, and functions effectively as Larry Summers without the baggage. Learn more about this potential public servant in Bob Kuttner's aptly titled September story, "Meet the next Treasury Secretary." The usual suspects -- Jason Furman, Austan Goolsbee and Dan Tarullo -- are in the mix for Council of Economic Advisors, National Economic Council or a domestic policy position. Sort those three at will.
- Bill Richardson is in the running for Secretary of Commerce. This one, also from MSNBC, is the furthest out there. Richardson, who has a resume fit for many tasks, doesn't really seem like the right person for Commerce. There is presumably a rationale for this pick, traditionally given to business-types, perhaps surrounding the importance of the global economy or the development of green infrastructure.
--Tim Fernholz
