Andy — Yes, there is some positive stuff, but I thought Rove’s piece on the Obama economic team was nicely crafted to make a number of commentators on the left uncomfortable:
Mr. Obama’s announcement of his economic team on Monday provided surprisingly positive clarity. He picked as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, the respected, soft-spoken New York Fed president. Mr. Geithner has been a key player with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in confronting the financial crisis. Every major decision in the rescue effort came only after the three agreed.
The National Economic Council director-designee, Larry Summers, is another solid pick. Mr. Summers has been an advocate for trade liberalization, he was the Clinton administration’s negotiator for the financial deregulation known as Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and he even attempted to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the 1990s.
Putting Geithner and Paulson together, and then Summers and Phil Gramm together, along with efforts to reform Fannie — nicely done. And it has the added advantage of being true. And then there’s the issue of Rove knowing that it will drive some on the left crazy if Karl Rove says something positive about the Obama team. All in all, a perfectly reasonable piece that was entertaining in its subplots, as well.