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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Obituaries Weather Archive Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Gallery Video Readers Polls Revels Etcetera Backpage O-Zone Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Online Games Movie Preview November 29, 2006 Economic experts join Romney By Dan Balz The Washington Post He hasn't even formed his presidential exploratory committee, but Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, R, has already signed up an economic brain trust to advise him, led by two former chairmen of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. Glenn Hubbard, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and Gregory Mankiw, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, have agreed to join Romney's political action committee, committee spokesman Jared Young said this week. Hubbard and Mankiw will play key roles in the governor's presidential campaign if he decides to run — a decision that is widely presumed. A third member of Romney's new economic team is Cesar Conda, who previously served asdomestic policy adviser to Vice President Cheney. Hubbard chaired Bush's economic council from 2001 to 2003 and was succeeded by Mankiw, who served until 2005. Mankiw stirred up a controversy for the president in 2004 when he said the outsourcing of jobs was "probably a plus" for the U.S. economy in the long run. Many economists agreed with that view, but the comment revealed Mankiw's lack of political instincts. Hubbard said he was attracted to Romney as someone who believes in modest government and who tries to use government to solve problems in a businesslike way. "Given the problems we have, having somebody with a strong business background and a good worldview on the economy is a good thing," he said. Romney also announced this week that he has recruited Warren Tompkins, a veteran South Carolina Republican strategist who was a regional co-chairman of Bush's reelection team, as an adviser for the Southeast. Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Advertisement: Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.