A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

A good pick and credit where it is due. While I may have policy differences with Geithner, he is quite smart, quite talented, very good to work with and commands the respect of people on both sides of the aisle. He may not be as bright as Larry Summers but to be fair, few people are and one thing Geithner has over Summers is the ability to be diplomatic and charming without having to work too hard at it. This counts for a lot, of course; it will be necessary for the Treasury Secretary to bend ears from time to time--especially given the current economic crisis--and as Geithner's example shows, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Add Geithner's skills at diplomacy and personal relations to the fact that even if he is not Larry Summers, he has a brain the quality of which most people envy, and you have yourself a Treasury Secretary to be reckoned with.

The President-elect did well with this choice. Kudos to him.