The speculation begins: Obama's next Commerce Secretary?

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is expected to be named the next ambassador to China - so who will be the next Secretary of Commerce? Here's the early speculation:

• Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman and (until April 4) chief executive of Google. He campaigned for President Obama in 2008 and is already expected to spend more time in Washington, as a Google liaison, when he finishes his tenure as CEO.
• Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski. He had a close relationship with President Obama dating back to law school, and delivered on the president's campaign promise to pass net-neutrality rules—a feat requiring a tightrope walk between the industry and public advocate demands.
• John Thompson, the former chief executive of Symantec and a former IBM exec. He served on the congressionally-created Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, exploring the causes of the downturn. His name bounced around the last time Obama had to choose a Commerce Secretary. He campaigned for Obama.
• Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative. He was the center of Transportation Secretary speculation before he was named to his current gig. The trade job means he's already versed in key issues for the Commerce Department. Top technology matters for Kirk have include a push to raise awareness about intellectual property theft by foreign criminals.
• One of the members of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. President Obama has a deep bench of top business executives advising him on economic issues. At least one, Penny Pritzker, attracted Commerce Secretary buzz last time around.