WASHINGTON — During the campaign, when Barack Obama needed an authoritative voice to defend his tax and spending proposals, he turned to Lawrence H. Summers -- the Clinton administration Treasury secretary and former Harvard president who has one of the sharpest minds in modern economics.
Now, as President-elect Obama considers his choice for Treasury secretary, Summers' name is again front and center. But this time, the decision is not so clear. Obama faces conflicting advice from his close advisors, from Capitol Hill and from important Democratic constituencies.
Some argue that, with the economy gripped by a deepening crisis, he needs the country's best and brightest to help him deal with it, chief among them Summers.
Others warn that Summers' sharp elbows and his penchant for controversy could make him a damaging distraction at a time when the nation and the new president can least afford it. And they worry that Summers' wide-ranging knowledge, expansive personality and combative impulses could clash with the president's desire to have the White House deeply involved in the biggest problems facing the new administration.
These voices argue that a more reassuring pick might be the venerable former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul A. Volcker, perhaps teamed with New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy F. Geithner.
Obama's choice will have huge symbolic importance, offering voters an early chance to assess his judgment and decision-making process. Regardless of who is chosen, the Treasury secretary will play a central role in the administration's economic team -- influencing the substance of policy and how effectively it is pursued.
Summers, 53, clearly has Obama's ear. He and 15 other members of a "transition economic advisory board" are scheduled to meet with the president-elect today to discuss what may be the worst economic decline since the Depression.
And Summers might yet end up in the top Treasury spot, especially if Obama is unable to persuade a reportedly reluctant Volcker, 81, to take the job at least for the duration of the crisis.
But Summers' capacity for stirring controversy was clear Thursday when the National Organization for Women wasted no time questioning his fitness. "I'm not sure that Summers is the best choice for the job," said NOW President Kim Gandy, noting that he apparently played a role in some of the deregulation decisions that contributed to the financial collapse.
