"He was en engaging character, " said Paul Rubin, who profiled Marin in 2008 for the Phoenix New Times newspaper.

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He seems a quick learner and has built up an impressive team of advisers, drawing in seasoned hands like Paul Volcker, Robert Rubin and Larry Summers.

ECONOMIST: The presidential election

Among the panelists were former Treasury Secretaries Lawrence Summers and Robert Rubin, former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and billionaire businessman Warren Buffett.

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