New Chief Of Staff, A Low Key, Long-Time Insider
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In choosing Lew to run his White House, President Barack Obama on Monday completed an arc of chiefs-of-staff, from the fiery Emanuel and his grasp of legislative intrigue, to William Daley and his ties to the business community to, now, Lew, a budget specialist with expertise on the inner workings of the executive branch.
At age 56, Lew's career has placed him at the center of power for three decades. He was a top aide in the 1980s to then-House Speaker Tip O'Neill. His office mate in those days was Chris Matthews, now the colorful and occasionally combative MSNBC host.
Lew was director of the Office of Management and Budget, his current post, back in the Clinton administration, serving from 1998 to early 2001, prompting Obama to praise him as the "only budget director in history to preside over budget surpluses for three consecutive years."
"Over the past year he has helped strengthen our economy and streamline the government at a time when we need to do everything we can to keep our recovery going," Obama said. "Jack's economic advice has been invaluable and he has my complete trust, both because of his mastery of the numbers but because of the values behind those numbers."
Lew is well-regarded by Republicans, though he is likely to be perceived as more of a partisan than Daley, who had a close relationship with the corporate community.
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But it's not going to happen. My second choice of Barney Frank is unlikely either. 
There is a sign of daylight: "He attended Carleton College in Minnesota where his faculty adviser was Paul Wellstone"
I've frankly been disappointed with the President's choices for this post, and I'm unhappy with Jay Carney too as Press Secretary; would it kill Axelrod and Obama to pick someone with some gravitas. I'm frankly a little worried we aren't cultivating the next generation of Democratic leaders. 
Maybe this is why the White House has seemed kinda moribund lately...I mean after the Christmas showdown you'd think they'd come out swinging. Clearly, Daley has been being a drag on the White House and is now being sent packing. I'm a huge Obama supporter, but I don't ignore bad news, and I don't hold my tongue even sometimes where I'm told I should. We can and must do better than what we've been getting - I don't blame Obama for all of this; the White House is a team.
