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Barack Obama’s staff choices tell us what sort of president he will turn out to be. And his choices are good, especially for those who feared a shift to the left, writes The Economist.

The Economist

In the absence of any real detail about what he plans to do, it is Barack Obama’s staff choices that provide the best indications as to what sort of president he will turn out to be. ... And his choices are reassuring, especially for those who feared a shift to the left.

On the economic side, by giving the two main jobs to pragmatic centrists — Tim Geithner for treasury secretary and Larry Summers to chair the National Economic Council, the White House body that co-ordinates economic policymaking — Mr Obama has shown that he values experience over ideology, and competence over personal loyalty. … The appointment of Peter Orszag, a noted critic of lax spending, to run the budget office is another good move: it hints that Mr Obama will be a spending hawk as well as a stimulator. …

There are, of course, a few potential pitfalls. For every rational businessperson reassured by the fact that Mr Obama has appointed economically literate free traders, there will be a union leader moaning that a bunch of Clintonian retreads will never deliver the change America needs.