Obama to Appoint Sperling as Economic Adviser

President Obama will announce Friday that Gene Sperling, a former Clinton administration official and current adviser to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, will serve as director of the National Economic Council. It's another appointment seen as a move to the center, and especially as an attempt to reach out to business. But as with William Daley, Sperling’s ties to the banking industry make some on the left nervous. Sperling worked in the private sector during George W. Bush's administration, earning nearly $900,000 working part-time on a philanthropic project for Goldman Sachs and an additional $150,000 giving speeches to financial firms.