This forum has not been particularly kind to the ?libertarian paternalism? advocated by Cass Sunstein.

But the professor wins at least a few points for angering some of the left?s less savory characters:

Yet the choice of Sunstein has drawn protests from environmentalists, health advocates, and many others, bringing some long-simmering academic debates into the open. While these battles aren’t likely to threaten his confirmation at an upcoming hearing, they may foreshadow a somewhat looser regulatory environment than Obama’s constituencies anticipated.

Even his detractors recognize Sunstein, 54, as an amazingly prolific legal scholar with a keen intellect. But they worry about his insistence on tying regulations to cost-benefit analysis, the bedrock principle of his Bush-era predecessor, John Graham. They’re also concerned about his prediction last year that Obama will be a deregulator. “He is off on the wrong track,” says Rena Steinzor, a progressive University of Maryland law professor.

Costs? Benefits? Weighing them against each other? Who would have thought of that?