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The President's (Former) Economy Guru

Economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin stepped down last fall as director of the Congressional Budget Office. He had been appointed to a four-year term that was to have ended in February of 2007.

During his tenure at the CBO, Holtz-Eakin also served as the office's representative on the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board.

Previously, Holtz-Eakin served as President Bush's chief economist. As director of the CBO, he earned a reputation for being fair and candid in discussing issues from tax rates to government spending.

The office is independent, nonpartisan and its main function is to estimate how much money the government should take in and spend each year. Holtz-Eakin is joining the staff of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been an academic economist at Columbia, Princeton, and Syracuse Universities.

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