Lockhart To Leave SSA?

The Wall Street Journal reports that James B. Lockhart III, Deputy Commissioner of Social Security, is the frontrunner to head the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight which oversees federal housing financing corporations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Deputy Commissioner at SSA is the chief operating officer, second only to the Commissioner. Lockhart was appointed by the President, rather than the Commissioner, and was confirmed by the Senate. Lockhart is a long time friend of President Bush. The two first met at Phillips Academy Andover. Lockhart campaigned extensively for President Bush's plan for private Social Security accounts, while Jo Anne Barnhart, the Commissioner of Social Security, was essentially silent on the subject apart from one Op Ed piece in the New York Times, for which she received a good deal of criticism. There have been reports of friction between Barnhart and Lockhart.