Commentators have been making preliminary comparisons between Obama and FDR. We have no idea how appropriate these comparisons will be, but in one area it seems to have merit. Roosevelt was known for surrounding himself the smartest people he could find -- the brain trust -- placing himself at the center of their deliberations, decide whose argument was most persuasive, and use that to establish policy. Obama seems to be doing the same.
From Slate's Today's Papers:
As part of Obama's effort to put together "the best minds in America" to deal with the current economic crisis, the president-elect appointed former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker as chairman of his new Economic Recovery Advisory Board. This means there will be five different Washington entities trying to come up with solutions to the crisis. It's already well-known that Obama likes to be surrounded by expert advisers, but in a front-page piece, the WP says that putting so many head-strong people together will test the president-elect's crisis-management skills. Obama has to make sure that "his surplus of smarts does not become too much of a good thing," as the Post puts it, because having too many people battling for a chance to get their views across to the president could create a management nightmare.
