What’s odd about all of this is that I actually like this pick, and I feel like most of the smart folks I read aren’t necessarily informing my opinion (many are lukewarm to this pick at best).

Part of me thinks that people expected Obama to be some wide-eyed lefty or something. His policies from the beginning have been pretty centrist. His health care plan was eyed as not being ambitious enough, especially put up against Edwards and Clinton, his position on taxes is a smart compromise, and his view of the world and the use of military power is reasonably centrist (e.g. views on using force to capture Bin Laden).

This guy (Obama) is a problem solver by nature with good political instincts. I don’t expect him to appoint idealists or ideologues, but unique thinkers. By all accounts, Rahm Emanuel is also a problem solver with decent instincts. This pick fits.