Tina Brown writes that the incoming Obama administration promises a restoration of intellectualism to the center of American life. In honor of her thesis, we present the official Obama Hotties poll.

Your contestants:

Melody Barnes, domestic policy council director, is not only attractive but was also Ted Kennedy's lawyer, so you know she's good. (OK, technically, she was his chief counsel at the Senate Judiciary Committee for eight years.)
Tim Geithner, Treasury Secretary-designate, who is far too handsome to worry about his tax problems.

Deputy chief of staff Mona Sutphen has an exotic foreign-service background. Diplomat = sexy!

Reggie Love, Obama's personal assistant of hotness.

Susan Rice, future ambassador to the United Nations, will restore America's image — and our faith in the power of metallic colors.
Jon Favreau, the speechwriter who makes every college coed say "Yes, we can".

Desirée Rogers, a social secretary on everyone's calendar.

Peter Orszag, the budget master who's going to have to protect more than just his pockets.

Ellen Moran, the communications director who's a dead ringer for Dana Scully from the X Files.

Rahm "Rahmbo" Emanuel, and really, do we need to say more than "chief of staff" here?

Eugene Kang, 24, is special assistant to the president. Sure, he looks like kinda dorky, but he mounted a near-successful campaign for Ann Arbor city council.

Pulitzer-winning Harvard professor Samantha Power is an advisor to Obama — and married fellow staffer Cass Sunstein, 16 years her senior, in July.

Eric Holder, Obama's attorney-general designate, looks like he can deliver more than justice. Okay, he's a lawyer, but don't hold that against him.

Patrick Gaspard, the new White House political director, favors fall colors — election season!

Now vote! The polls are open through the end of Barack Obama's first day in office. Write-ins are allowed in the poll or in the comments.

(Photos by Nadav Kander/New York Times)