Obama nominates Bernanke to lead Fed for four more years
OAK BLUFFS, Mass. -- President Obama briefly interrupted his week-long vacation Tuesday morning to renominate Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve, putting his faith in the man widely credited with helping to avert a global economic collapse.
Appearing briefly here in an open shirt and blazer, Obama said Bernanke "has led the Fed through one of the worst financial crises that this nation and this world have ever faced. As an expert on the causes of the Great Depression, I'm sure Ben never imagined that he would be part of a team responsible for preventing another. But because of his background, his temperament, his courage, and his creativity, that's exactly what he has helped to achieve."
Bernanke, similarly dressed in this summer resort, said the Fed has been challenged by unprecedented events during his tenure and has been "bold or deliberate as circumstances demanded."
Obama's decision to stick with the 55-year-old Bernanke is a sign he wants to stabilize financial markets and act in a bipartisan manner. Bernanke was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005 to replace Alan Greenspan as Fed chief.
Bernanke's current four-year term expires in January, and Senate confirmation is needed.
The main contender for Bernanke's job, White House chief economic adviser Lawrence Summers, joined Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel in recommending that Obama renominate Bernanke, according to deputy press secretary Bill Burton.
When U.S. banks curtailed lending last year, Bernanke offered them huge emergency loans to shore up their balance sheets. Since then he presided over the purchase of more than a half trillion dollars in mortage portfolios.
Bernanke, a former Princeton professor and expert on the Great Depression, has said he took dramatic action to end the banking crisis and keep credit flowing because "I was not going to be the Federal Reserve chairman who presided over the second Great Depression."
