Meanwhile, several sources said Jones has moved to the top of the list to be Obama's national security adviser and the sides are in advanced talks. Sources familiar with the talks said Obama is considering expanding the scope of the job to give the adviser the kind of authority once wielded by powerful figures like Henry Kissinger.

It looks like SoS is a booby prize anyway.

AG,

Thankfully, I've other places to reside.

Many forget the Clinton years. It was a great scam.

Obama is an H.N.--- The new White House Butler.

Be happy with the Clinton third term and the coming depression. Gonna be ugly.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

Actually, I think more people around here are worried that Obama will have a successful presidency, but it won't be a particularly liberal one.

Which, you know, anyone paying attention during the primaries should have been able to notice.  Til the day I die I don't think I'm going to be able to understand how much of the hardcore liberal folks jumped onto Obama's bandwagon when policy-wise the differences between he and Clinton could be measured with a toothpick.  Maybe even half a toothpick.  He told everyone this himself in just about every speech he made, in every policy paper he presented, and in every debate.  I'm completely unsurprised by any of the picks he's making primarily because they're exactly the type of folks I predicted he's pick for the jobs given how he campaigned.  (I know it's out of fashion to assume that politicians are telling the truth when they campaign instead of just pandering to various elements to get votes, but shockingly Obama seemed to be telling everyone exactly how he'd govern while he was campaigning and many folks just chose to ignore him and assumed he would be far more liberal in practice than he told everyone he would be.  I don't know - maybe they were listening to Republican propaganda and became convinced he really was a socialist or something.)

The only attribute I could ever see to back Obama over Clinton was that he was outside the Beltway when the Iraq War started and so was able to mount a credible criticism of it from the beginning.  I was initially willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that it was good judgment on his part and not just that he was outside the Beltway when the decision was made, but after he made the stupid move on retroactive telco immunity, it became pretty obvious that it really was that he was far enough away from the Beltway that he hadn't yet been influenced by the hive-stupid that seems to infest the entire city.  Still, I'm convinced he'll be a decent holder of the office - probably better than any in my lifetime (which starts with Nixon, so we're not talking about high bars to overcome here - "better than Clinton" isn't exactly Mission Impossible by any stretch).  He's just not going to be the second coming of FDR or anything (unless circumstances force him to be - I could see him reacting to circumstances that push him to enact more liberal policies than he'd propose himself.  But I'm not exactly rooting for the complete and total economic collapse / World War that would probably be needed for that to happen for personal reasons.).

you are a great dreamer. Obama will be nothing more than a H.N.

A QB?   Not likely. He'll be benched.

First the reunion of Clinton hires and it'll be Clinton all the time. Bill will sit in on cabinet meetings. And they'll let us know they're running the show. In your face.

Watch.

Obama just canceled his presidency.

Stupid as stupid does.

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

You say that what is needed is someone who "fully understands the job". I could say the same that you said about HC and State: that understanding the job could be left to the Deputy Secretary.

I think that what is more important at this point for the Secretary of Treasury is for him to understand financial markets, and the necessity for serious regulation, and I don't think that Geithner understands those things.

The world financial system needs to be rebuilt virtually from scratch. It doesn't look like there's anyone on Obama's team who appreciates that.

You need somebody in who is already trained.  No diapers can be used.  You need someone who has already been there, seen the operations up close, familiar with the department.

We are in a deep deep hole, and it will take a very capable person to get us out.  The CDSs are sitting out there, 10 Trillion, 50 trillion, some say $300 trillion.  It will take something very clever to deflate this terrible situation.

There is not a single person on Obama's team who raised alarms about the financial crisis before it struck...

Not even one?  

Not even Obama himself?  Would he count?