Nora O'Donnell: This is significant in many ways. This is the political apparatus of the Democratic Party. Obama is the head of the Democratic Party. Why do you think he chose Virginia's Governor for this position?

Mark Whittaker, Washington bureau Chief NBC news: It is about control and traditionally the president does want to have control over the party apparatus. He chose him, first of all, because he's a friend and a loyalist and an early supporter, and somebody who's also very close to the president elect personally.

But also because of what Kaine stands for politically. He somebody who in Virginia, has been very successful in reaching out to independents and moderate Republicans, as well as Obama did in this election. He, like all good politicians wants to expand his base even further, not only in terms of looking already to the 2012 reelection fight, but also right now in terms of getting the maximum support and patience across the board politically for what is going to be a very difficult year ahead on the policy front.

O'Donnell: In 2005 when Governor Kaine won a red state, a blue governor, he was one of the bright spots for the party winning there. He's one of those who talks about faith, those "value voters" that we've talked about that the Democratic Party's got to reach more of and talk more about their faith. Do you think that changes the Democratic Party, and given that Tim Kaine is a Catholic who is pro-life?

O'Donnell: I want to go to Mark Whittaker ... Uhm... faith. Governor Tim Kaine has reached out to people of faith, he talks about these value voters. How do you think they handle this now, the Democratic National Committee? Will this be a larger type of courting new types of voters?

Whittaker: Well, we see it not only in the Kaine selection to run the party committee, but we also in Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor who's been invited to be part of the inauguration. Very controversial because of his position on gay marriage and other issues, but another sign that Obama in looking at where he can enlarge his base politically, is looking at evangelicals, particularly younger evangelicals, the people we saw in this election that there is a bit of generational split and older evangelicals who are very much part of the Republican base over the last 30 years, a movement among younger evangelicals who care about green issues and so forth that makes them perhaps open to moving more in the Democrats' direction and Obama wants to pick some of them off.

While Warren says he opposes torture, he doesn't treat the subject with anything like the zeal he accords gay marriage and abortion. As he recently told Beliefnet.com, he never even brought up the subject with the Bush administration, where he had considerable access. Just before the 2004 election, he sent out an e-mail to his congregation outlining the five issues that he considered "non-negotiable". "In order to live a purpose-driven life – to affirm what God has clearly stated about his purpose for every person he creates – we must take a stand by finding out what the candidates believe about these five issues, and then vote accordingly," he wrote. The issues were abortion, stem-cell research, gay marriage, cloning and euthanasia. Torture, apparently, is something that decent Christians can disagree on.

Whittaker: One of the things that I've heard about all of these appointments --- he knew Kaine already --- but I've heard that with all these appointments that he sat down with people. And I've heard that the personal chemistry between Obama and the people he's been considering for these positions has been very important. Among other things, he trusts his gut about people. And that there are some people who walked into those interviews being expected to get jobs and didn't get them and vice versa.