Peter Orszag may have had the shortest tenure of any member of the Obama Cabinet, but in an administration dominated by a powerful White House staff, he left as deep a mark as almost anyone in it, Politico reports.

The 41-year-old economist, whose last day is Friday, was a key shaper and negotiator of the stimulus package; he designed cost-control plans and other features of this year’s sweeping health care legislation and he has cultivated a reputation as the administration’s leading deficit hawk.

But Orszag made enemies in the House leadership for his emphasis on controlling cost, and his independent profile at times rankled the White House as much as any disagreements over deficits. Officials there say he had a habit of going around them to the press and to members of Congress, and they winced at his highly publicized personal life.

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