Gene Sperling, the longtime Bill Clinton aide and West Wing archetype/writer, is President Obama’s new top economic adviser. He’s replacing the controversial and sometimes cranky Larry Summers, and has a reputation for being less controversial and even less cranky. I’ve had a few encounters with Gene through the years, and he’s always struck me as an endearing (and rare) combination of policy wonk, political operator, and genuine mensch. Meaning that this appointment would seem to be good for Gene, good for America.