From President Obama’s announcement Thursday of his choice of former Commerce Secretary William Daley as his White House chief of staff:

Few Americans can boast the breadth of experience that Bill brings to this job.  He served as a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet as Commerce Secretary.  He took on several other important duties over the years on behalf of our country.  He’s led major corporations.  He possesses a deep understanding of how jobs are created and how to grow our economy.  And needless to say, Bill also has a smidgen of awareness of how our system of government and politics works.  You might say it is a genetic trait.

The National Association of Manufacturers issued a statement from Executive Vice President Jay Timmons praising the selection. Timmons: “He is a very accomplished and strong business leader. The NAM had a strong relationship with him during his days as secretary of Commerce, and we look forward to working with him again on policies that will move our country forward – especially on job creation, economic growth and global competitiveness.”

Other business groups lauded the appointment. The U.S. Chamber’s Tom Donahue said, ““This is a strong appointment. Bill Daley is a man of stature and extraordinary experience in government, business, trade negotiations, and global affairs. He’s an accomplished manager and strong leader. We look forward to working with him to accelerate our recovery, grow the economy, create jobs, and tackle America’s global challenges.”

Business Roundtable issued a statement: “Business Roundtable has a strong relationship with Mr. Daley and has worked with him in the past on many issues important to both business and the broader economy, such as the successful ratification of NAFTA. Mr. Daley can continue to be an important partner in our fight to enact the type of policies our nation needs to reinvigorate the economy and get Americans back to work.”

Coverage …

• The Hill reports that the Republican National Committee and Big Labor are not so pleased with Daley’s appointment.
• National Journal, “Obama’s New Team A Lot Like the Old Team — and Clinton’s”
• Chicago Sun-Times, “William Daley: Obama’s Bridge to GOP, Business, Democrat base“
• Bloomberg, “Obama’s Choice of Daley Puts White House Focus on Economy, Business Ties“
• Globe and Mail, “Obama’s appointment of Daley signals a more centrist approach“
• Time, Swampland blog, “William Daley, Obama’s Corporate Ambassador?”
• AP, “Daley brings business and political smarts to job“

And just think how much good the President could do by following up his pick of a Chicago pol by adopting the Chicago School of Economics. Now, that would be strong!