David Axelrod: Obama's Senior Adviser?

ABC News reports:

Former Obama chief strategist David Axelrod has accepted the position of Senior Adviser in the White House, sources tell ABC News.

He will join Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill, who has accepted the position of Obama's White House Chief of Staff.

Axelrod is a sharp political strategist and Emanuel brings a lot of strengths to the office.

The New Republic adds that Axelrod and Emanuel are close friends -- Axelrod even signed the ketubah at Emanuel's wedding. Rolling Stone quotes Emanuel saying that during the campaign, they spoke several times a day in a "sounding board" capacity.

The New York Times wrote of Axelrod recently:

In many ways, Mr. Axelrod is a classic example of the Washington political consultant (even though he lives in Chicago and says he has no intention of moving to the capital if Mr. Obama wins). He has been making advertisements and offering advice for candidates for mayor, senator and president for a generation, since quitting his job as a newspaper reporter in 1984. He has a particular specialty in helping black candidates appeal to white electorates and has tallied up a list of corporate clients along the way.

But Mr. Axelrod, in this client-consultant relationship, appears to be something different, with a personal investment in Mr. Obama's success that is obvious in the distress marked on his face whenever the candidate comes under attack.

Every politician has a guardian angel, and every presidential hopeful has a right-hand dispenser of wisdom. Yet in the trio of top strategists around Mr. Obama, including Robert Gibbs, a senior communications adviser, and David Plouffe, the campaign manager, it is Mr. Axelrod who has been at Mr. Obama's side the longest and has the most interwoven relationship with him.

"Although he is as tough as they come, he's actually not a mercenary," said Mr. Obama, of Illinois, in an interview. "He actually believes in what we're doing, which actually makes him a bad consultant when he doesn't believe in the candidate. And he's a great consultant when he believes."

Go here for news on Obama's Cabinet and the transition.

Comments

[mcantwell]

BEST TO KEEP THE GOLD MEDAL WINNING CAMPAIGN TEAM TOGETHER!

[VitoCorleone]

It is always a good practice to have more than one Consigliere.
You can have a Consigliere for Business matters, another one for Political matters and another one for Street matters.
That's the way I've always run my Famiglia; you don't want one Consigliere knowing all about your businesses, capisce.
I like what Barack is doing, compartamentalizing his business; he has studied my Paisan Machiavelli.

V.C.

[Harmony1812]

Bush couldn't even read what you just wrote.

[grizhead63]

If the Cabinet is only half as good as the campaign staff it will far outshine any Republican administration in the last...what...well since time began in 4000 bc with the dinosoars and cavemen.

[teapartydude]

He's been great; just no more flubs like mis-handling the research into Rev. Wright's sermons (i.e. he didn't get them before the blow-up).

[Lupin77]

Good news and great choice for the job. Now they have to address the economy and get the stock market going up instead of down to boost confidence in the markets. The economy has to be tackled even before he gets into the WH.

[DFL]

HE'S PROBABALY AS SMART AS ROVE WITHOUT BEING NASTY LIKE ROVE, AND THAT NASTY STREAK IN THE GOP PARTY SEEMS TO HAVE ALL STARTED WITH LEE ATWATER.

[changeishere08]

Awesome! I like Axelrod's fighting spirit, and he's brilliant. A wonderful and fair man.

[peterhowitt]

Plouffe will have an incredible career running a strategy company

Imagine the customers.... wow. He deserves all he gets

[SMP]

you watch..Plouffe and Gibbs will have a place at the white house...Gi­bbs..press secretary...and Plouffe will run all the high tech info site..like the new one Obama already has change.gov.

Obama always said he would engage the people..Plouffe is the man to engineer that.

why change a winning solid team..Axelrod, Gibbs and Plouffe........just add to it

[grizhead63]

I hope they are all there working together. They are an incredible team and could make megabucks on the outside, but America needs them far more in the White House.

[Harmony1812]

Obama already put out a new website - change.gov where anyone can participate with their ideas or get information about the transition. Press Releases will be there, too. There is even an organizational chart of the government and guess what? The Constitution is at the top! Bush didn't even know that.
How great is that? Now we have 21st Century access. We are going to be a government OF, BY and FOR the people once again
McCain can't even use a computer.

[Yovovi]

Great job David!! Don't forget Howard Dean everybody -- 50-state strategy designer!!!

[Myra Armstrong - Huffpost Blogger]

Absolutely! Howard Dean deserves a lot of credit!

[peterhowitt]

This guy is fantastic! What a seriously great man. He will be wonderful.

Another great choice

[dagdavid]

Axelrod is more than deserving. In years to come people will study his command of the Obama campaign in much the same way military historians study the tactics of Alexander the Great.

[AnAverageAmerican]

Nice compliment...I'm sold!

[Harmony1812]

Thank God for Axelrod and Plouffe. They did such a great job.

[Mugzi]

You are so right. The campaigns of both Democrat and Republican will be studied in political science classes for decades. I certainly did not major in political science, but even I could see the difference in campaigns.

[harhar2]

David Axelrod was a great campaign strategist for Obama. I was just thinking earlier today that this man should definitely be on the presidential staff. Great choice!

[Julie02]

Obama is 2 for 2. Keep it rolling.

[FACINGREALIT]

3 FOR 3 Gibbs is Obama's Press Secretary!

[Alizaryn]

GREAT CHOICE!

[jeffp26]

Axelrod went to Stuyvesant High School, one of the best public high schools, no make that one of the best high schools in this country. He likes Obama because he agrees that this country needs a leader who thinks twice and cuts once.