Treasury most important Obama pick - poll

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- President-elect Barack Obama will continue to sign off on cabinet positions in the coming weeks, but the most important decision may be the cabinet member who signs our money.

According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, 41% of Americans believe the Secretary of the Treasury will be the Obama administration member who will matter most to the country's future. That compares to 25% who said the Secretary of State will be most important and 24% who said the Secretary of Defense will be the next president's most important cabinet decision.

The next Treasury secretary already has a lot of work cut out for him or her. The secretary will need to oversee the $700 billion financial rescue plan, deciding how best to use the remaining $350 billion not yet allotted. Detroit automakers say they are in desperate need of a bailout, and banks are still hesitant to lend to consumers and other financial institutions.

Current Treasury head Henry Paulson has said he will work closely with Obama's pick to ease the transition.

Several names have been floated as possible Obama picks by political experts and economists. New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers are seen as the leading candidates for the position. Summers served as Treasury secretary under President Clinton, and Geithner was the Fed's point person on the rescue of Bear Stearns and American International Group (AIG, Fortune 500), as well as the failed talks to keep Lehman Brothers out of bankruptcy.

Other possible future Treasury secretaries include Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairwoman Sheila Bair, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, and New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine. Corzine, like Paulson, is a former CEO of Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500).

Whomever the president-elect picks, Americans believe that person will be a good fit for the position. Of the more than 1,200 people surveyed from Nov. 6-9, 77% said they are confident that Obama will make the right decisions when it comes to appointing people to his Cabinet.

Many had expected the Treasury position would be Obama's first staff pick. But nearly two weeks after the election, no cabinet position has yet been announced, and the president-elect's office would not give a timeline for a decision. Some analysts say Obama needs to make the crucial announcement sooner rather than later.

"The next Treasury secretary needs to start working immediately with Paulson," said Andrew Brenner, senior vice president of MF Global. "This is really pressing because of the uncertainty that lies ahead, and he just needs to make a decision."