In a surprise announcement that shocked the economics community, President Bush named Robert McCleskey, his personal tax accountant, to succeed Alan Greenspan. McCleskey, who has little or no track record in the area of monetary policy, will now face the rigors of a grueling confirmation process. Given the defining nature of the appointment and the challenges of filling Greenspan's legendary shoes, some observers were surprised the President chose McCleskey, a man who has never written on anything vaguely related to the Federal Reserve or monetary issues. When asked about why he chose McCleskey the President responded aggressively. "He's a heckuva...