And that's strong evidence that President-elect Barack Obama is off to a good start.

The young and dynamic president-elect from Illinois has taken promising first steps in picking experienced and smart people for top posts in his administration.

That includes three market-oriented, veteran financial advisers who served in the Clinton administration -- Timothy Geithner, Obama's choice for treasury secretary; Lawrence Summers, his pick to head the National Economic Council; and Peter Orszag, who will serve as Obama's budget director.

While introducing these and other top aides in recent days, Obama has stressed the need to scrutinize federal spending in the face of economic crisis.

"Budget reform is not an option," the president-elect declared. "It's a necessity."

Obama also suggested he'll govern boldly from the sensible center of the political spectrum -- where most Americans reside -- not from the far left or right.

"What the American people want more than anything is just commonsense, smart government," Obama said. "They don't want ideology. They don't want bickering."

Amen.

The politically-independent Wisconsin State Journal editorial board endorsed Obama's historic bid for the White House in early October, hoping he would be a strong leader who solves problems. We were impressed by his call for a new kind of politics in Washington and a fresh approach to achieving shared goals.

Now that Obama shows signs of following through on that vision, the far left is crying foul.

"Not a single, solitary, actual dyed-in-the-wool progressive has, as far as I can tell, even been mentioned for a position in the new administration," lamented The Nation's Christopher Hayes in a recent column titled "Left Out."

Well, that's precisely what the State Journal -- and most voters -- were hoping for. In our endorsement, the State Journal specifically urged Obama to keep both the far left and the far right out of his administration.

Obama's picks so far should reassure most Americans. Obama is moving quickly in the face of economic turmoil to calm financial markets and jump-start the economy as he prepares to take office Jan. 20.

Obama still has a long way to go. He faces enormous challenges and many difficult, complicated decisions.

But so far, he's positioning himself well for success.