Amid mounting anxiety over the stalled economic recovery, President Obama this week announced that his chief economic advisor would be leaving before the end of the year. Lawrence Summers, who leads the National Economic Council, will return to teaching at Harvard University. Widely considered both brilliant and brusque, Summers, 55, is the third key member of Obama’s economic team to depart in recent months, following budget director Peter Orszag and economic advisor Christina Romer. Obama thanked Summers for helping “guide us from the depths of the worst recession since the 1930s to renewed growth.’’ Polls show broad voter dissatisfaction with the economy.
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