I have to say I found HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan very impressive during the background briefing he and Tim Geithner and FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair gave reporters yesterday. I didn't see it live, but reading over the transcript, it seemed like Donovan had pretty much every detail at his finger tips and was able to relate them with real fluency. (In fairness, Geithner and Bair both more than held their own, but I'd seen them in action before.)
For what it's worth, this jibes with what I've heard from multiple White House sources. They say he was a very active participant in the meetings where the plan got hashed out. Larry Summers in particular is said to be a big fan.
--Noam Scheiber