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And….the horses are at the clubhouse turn.

President-elect Joe Biden today announced Avril Haines as his nominee for director of national intelligence. If confirmed, the former deputy CIA director and Obama White House national security adviser would be the first woman to hold the top intelligence job.

As SpyTalk noted on Sunday, Haines transitioned from hipster independent bookstore owner to CIA deputy director in 15 short years. And she is no stranger to Biden, having worn two deputy hats in the Obama White House, as a number two national security advisor and a similar portfolio in the office of the White House Counsel.

“She may be too quirky for the 7th floor at Langley, but she’ll land somewhere atop the Biden natsec team,” we wrote. And so it has come to pass.

One former DNI, retired General James Clapper, called her “an inspired choice.”

“Her character, impeccable integrity, work ethic, selflessness, and humility, and fundamental goodness,” qualified her for the job, Clapper told Sp…