Awesome, awesome rumor: Chris Dodd for Treasury Secretary?

This isn’t some no-name nutroots blogger pushing this. It’s Roll Call, citing multiple Senate aides. Really, Democrats? Countrywide Chris guarding the federal coffers? At a moment when The One’s taking heat for being too cozy with Wall Street, he’s going to appoint a guy whose pool of Wall Street donations over the years is so deep he could do the backstroke in it?

In hindsight, this headline probably warranted three “awesomes.”

Speculation has also begun about potential employment for Dodd in the Obama administration.

For instance, several Democratic Senate aides noted that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is an extremely unpopular figure in the Senate. Geithner has also taken the brunt of the criticism for the administration’s handling of the economy and, these sources speculated, if the country’s financial picture does not brighten before Election Day, he could be the first secretary to leave the administration.

Although Dodd would appear to be well-situated to take control of Treasury if the position were to open, it may not be smooth sailing for his nomination.

I wonder which Republican would be tasked at the confirmation hearing with grilling him about that game of human pinball he and Teddy allegedly played with that waitress. Can’t wait. Two reasons why it’s unlikely, though. First, according to Ambinder, it was a “covert project” of the White House to convince Dodd that he was unelectable in hopes that he’d drop out and a viable Democrat would keep the seat. (Which is what’ll almost certainly happen: State AG Richard Blumenthal leads his GOP opponents by 30-40 points.) Why bring a guy into your inner circle who’s so politically toxic that he can’t get reelected as a six-term incumbent in deep-blue Connecticut? Second, one of the reasons the Dems wanted Dodd out now is to deprive the GOP of a “culture of corruption” narrative in the midterms. In which case … why hand them that narrative on a silver platter for the presidential election in 2012?

Here’s his retirement speech, via Greg Hengler. Exit question: If Napolitano ends up getting fired, how about Jim Traficant for DHS?

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