The Times reports on some potential lower-level officeholders in President-elect Obama's cabinet:

For national security adviser, Mr. Obama might pick between James B. Steinberg, a former deputy national security adviser, and Gregory B. Craig, a former State Department official. Mr. Danzig and Dennis Ross, a longtime Middle East envoy, are also mentioned. Susan E. Rice, a former assistant secretary of state and early Obama adviser, is often described as a possible deputy national security adviser or ambassador to the United Nations.

Democrats said they had heard that Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, who is a doctor, might be a candidate for secretary of health and human services; Representative James E. Clyburn of South Carolina may be considered for secretary of housing and urban development; and Penny S. Pritzker, a Chicago business tycoon and Mr. Obama’s national finance chairwoman, could be tapped for commerce secretary.

If Rahm Emanuel accepts Obama's offer to become chief of staff - and why hasn't he already? - the number of Clintonites in the next White House will increase by one (of many to come). We're starting to see how Obama's first term will really be Clinton's third, minus the forty-second president's manifold personal failings. That looks like a recipe for success.