Orzag gave a big-spending White House some credibility with budget hawks, thanks to his CBO background. He wasn’t viewed as just some political hack installed by the president.

This credibility gave Orzag the ability to argue (with a straight face) that spending more now could save money over the long run. Not a lot of people could say that, but Orzag could. In a way, that’s what made him so dangerous from a conservative’s perspective — he was a big spender in fiscal hawk’s clothing.

Leaving in a year when Congress failed to pass a budget must be a disappointment for Orzag. And he leaves with a legacy of the largest projected debt in history.

Peter would probably say that all that debt is due to the government’s making needed “investments” to help people. What I think is that it may guarantee a whole generation an unnecessary burden and reduce their standard of living.

Of course, in the end, no one remembers budget directors. The debt is on Obama’s shoulders. But because Orzag was supposed to understand this stuff, he was Obama’s chief enabler in growing the government.

– Gary Andres is vice chairman of research for Dutko Worldwide.