Who is Elizabeth Warren, Obama's Consumer Protection Agency Adviser?

(Sept. 15) -- President Barack Obama will reportedly nominate Elizabeth Warren to serve as a special adviser in helping establish the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The news that Warren has been tapped for what appears to be just a temporary oversight position has placated some liberals but angered many others, who have called for her full appointment as the head of the new agency. Meanwhile, conservatives remain enraged that she's getting any position at all, perceiving her to be far left of the mainstream.

But who is Warren, exactly, and why has her appointment been so controversial? Sure, there's the fact that it would be a direct appointment, sidestepping the Senate confirmation process. But beyond that, what about her background is so explosive?

Currently a professor at Harvard Law School, Warren burst into the national limelight after being selected by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to head up the Congressional Oversight Panel that was formed to monitor how the U.S. Treasury was using TARP (aka "bailout") funds, to debatable effect. But Warren's bio contains some other interesting, relevant highlights, and Surge Desk has a list.

1. At the age of 16, Warren was a champion debater in Oklahoma.
In 1966, Warren was the debate champion of Oklahoma, Bloomberg reported. Those skills have certainly served her well as a lawyer and in halls of government.

2. Warren is a former Sunday school teacher.
The daughter of a janitor, Warren is a Methodist, and taught Sunday school back in Oklahoma. According to website bio, she often cites John Wesley, the co-founder of Methodism, as one of her role models.

3. Warren is an ardent fan of the Houston Rockets.
According to The Boston Globe, Warren once shouted down 76ers fans in Philadelphia on a night when she went to watch the Rockets play.

4. Warren was a blogger for the liberal website Talking Points Memo.
Before assuming her position as TARP watchdog, Warren and some of her students at Harvard Law wrote posts for the liberal blog Talking Points Memo. Her posts dealt mainly with consumer protection and called for the formation of a department much like the one she has been selected to help build.

5. Warren is a best-selling author.
Warren's 2005 book "All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan," which she co-wrote with her daughter, Amelia Warren Tyagi, became a New York Times best seller. The mother-daughter duo also penned a second best seller, "The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers & Fathers Are Going Broke."

6. Warren had a featured role in Michael Moore's film "Capitalism: A Love Story."
A darling of liberal television programs like "The Daily Show," Warren earned conservative enmity for her appearance in Moore's 2009 documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story." Here's Warren being interviewed by Moore: