Will Erskine Bowles be our next Treasury Secretary?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/10/will-erskine-bowles-be-our-next-treasury-secretary/
One of Washingtons favorite guessing games behind Mitt Romneys veepstakes, but way ahead of who will run the Commerce Department is who will replace Timothy Franz Geithner as Treasury Secretary. And as of today, Im ready to name a frontrunner, at least if Barack Obama is re-elected: Erskine Bowles.
This wouldnt be the first time Bowles got a call from the White House. The Obama administration tapped Bowles to co-chair the National Commission of Fiscal Responsibility and Reform better known as the Simpson-Bowles Commission. Word on the street is that this wouldnt even be the second time Bowles got a call from the White House. Theyve felt him out about joining the administration in a more formal capacity before. But he wasnt interested.
Bowles, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, had built up a huge storehouse of bipartisan credibility as co-chair of the Simpson-Bowles Commission. He didnt want to join the administration in 2011, when joining the administration meant trench warfare with the Republicans. And as Bowles assiduously worked to show off how bipartisan he was lavishly complimenting Rep. Paul Ryan, for instance the administration cooled on him in return.
But next year is different. Next year is the year the fiscal deal has to be made. And if Bowles is Treasury Secretary, hell be the guy making the deal. Thats way better than leading a commission. Its even better than being well-liked by both sides. Thats legacy material.