Goolsbee Reported to Be Next Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors

So reports the Associated Press:

President Barack Obama has chosen one of his longtime economic advisers, Austan Goolsbee, to be the chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers, a White House official said.

Obama was expected to announce the appointment at the beginning of his news conference on Friday. The official spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the formal announcement had not been made.

This position isn't about messaging -- but messaging is important. Austan Goolsbee is someone who is able to speak cogently and effectively about the economy, something the Obama administration hasn't always been able to do. Thinking back to the 2008 election, Goolsbee frequently went toe-to-toe with top McCain economic advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin, running circles around his GOP counterpart. While it's certainly true that Goolsbee had an easier position to argue as the voice of the party out of power in a time of economic downturn in 2008 than he would as the voice of the party in power in a time of economic downturn today, he did display a finesse that could help the Obama administration navigate through these tough times.