I regret to report that your correspondent was ignorant of Steven Chu, the president-elect's designee for secretary of energy, but the reaction I'm reading today is very enthusiastic.

Joe Romm says "he would be a terrific choice for many reasons ... [and] since he is a hardcore science and cleantech guy, he would be a perfect complement for the new point person at the White House on energy and climate, Carol Browner," EPA chief under Clinton.

The Wonk Room at ThinkProgress calls the selection "a remarkable choice" and "a bold stroke." Yeah, but do they like it?

Chu, 60, has been the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory since 2004, and is a Nobel Prize winner, having won in physics in 1997 for "development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.”

[Addendum: Though I did give in to my alliteration addiction, I purposely avoided the many ways one could be "clever" with Mr. Chu's name. If only Gristmill had done the same: One post by David Roberts has a headline of "aaah..." and a first line of "Chu." Neat, huh? Kate Sheppard has a headline that says, in part, "what Chu want?" Another goodie! Granted, they also have headlines that say "Vicious Merkle" (rhymes with "circle," get it?) and "A-Carol-ing we go," about Carol Browner, so it's a broader problem.]