In Hillary's Shadow, Summers and Geithner Still in the Mix for the Other Big Job

All the talk about Hillary Clinton possibly contending for the job of secretary of state has overshadowed the search for someone to fill the arguably more vital post, given the economic crisis, of Treasury secretary.

As is often the case in Obamaland, very few people have first-hand information about which way Barack Obama and his transition team are going with this, though several Democratic officials have recently confirmed to me the early talk that the position is being decided between former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and New York FED president Timothy Geithner. Job Corzine, the New Jersey governor and former Goldman Sachs chief, was mentioned often as a wild card, but his chances seemed to have dimmed.

But one Democratic insider with knowledge of the transition process suggested to me today that the chances of Summers, who is widely understood to be campaigning for the job, are suffering, still, because of his resignation as Harvard president over remarks he made that were perceived as offensive by some women.

The source said no one in the Obama camp is obviously rallying to Summers' defense, even as resistance to the idea of his winning the job is intensifying.