Since the Democratic nominee's U.S. Senate campaign, Goolsbee has been Obama's closest economic adviser. Though the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business economics professor is not the kind of conservative economist the school is known for, Goolsbee brings to Obama enough of a reach across the partisan divide to temper the candidate's own left-leaning record. Goolsbee is senior economist to the Democratic Leadership Council, a research fellow at the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Congressional Budget Office's panel of economic advisers. Goolsbee's lack of day-to-day industry or government experience would be a sizable handicap in securing the Treasury spot. Look for him instead to chair the Council of Economic Advisers, a position that has been a springboard for a couple of Fed chairmen. Chance of nomination: 10%

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