Obama's White House Brain Trust Starts To Form

Barack Obama has started to assemble his brain trust, the inner circle of advisers who will guide him as he leads the country and navigates the shoals of Congress.

In addition to chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who accepted the post today, Obama has reportedly selected his campaign's chief strategist, David Axelrod, to be his senior adviser in the White House, according to ABC News.

Axelrod and Emanuel would make a formidable duo, both known for their expertise in brass-knuckle politics and experienced at tough Chicago-style politicking.

In addition, Robert Gibbs, a campaign spokesman known for his steady presence on Air Obama, the campaign plane, will be named the White House press secretary, Democratic officials told Politico.

Gibbs is a more genial presence, although he made headlines at the tail end of the campaign by aggressively confronting Fox News host Sean Hannity over the host's inclusion of an anti-Semite in his documentary on Obama.

The next step for President-elect Obama will be his Cabinet picks, especially the crucial post of Secretary of the Treasury.

Read more about Obama's potential Cabinet picks here.

And check out HuffPost's BigNews Page on Obama's potential Cabinet.

Comments

[MNmommy]

Argh - I keep getting pended.

I'm ticked about the D E L A Y / E M A N U E L comparisons this morning - last I checked, Rahmbo hasn't been i n d i c t e d on c r i m i n a l charges.

[abby4ever]

Just more sour grapes, they must own a vineyard.

BTW, do you happen to know how to find the transcript of the latest Larry king show? I've looked on the CNN website for transcripts but can't find anything, it's probably right in front of me but...

:[

[MNmommy]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0811/06/lkl.01.html

^^^ Last night's.

If you go here:

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/

And scroll down - the link to all the transcripts is near the bottom left on the page.

[MontanaHome]

Are they really being compared? Honest to g.od. There is no comparison.

Meatheads.

[RobertaInCT]

MN.

Why is Joe station n Washington?

[MNmommy]

heh, I think they have to keep the naughty children separated some of the time.

;)

[lastofourkind]

I think this goes to show how straight to business Obama plans to get. He picks some no nonsense people who know what they are doing. It's great to know he is surrounding himself with very strong people.

-LoOK
http://lastofourkind.blogspot.com

[karmagirl1061]

If our new president has confidence in Rahm, then so do I! Laughing at all the miserable repubs:)

[abby4ever]

David Gergen's explanation of what a Chief of Staff really does and his guess at Obama's reasons for choosing Rham for this job, are the most lucid and plausible, respectively, that I have heard. I was satisfied after listening to his take on this matter, he is a wise person, and knowledgeable.

[Flick08]

Can someone please tell Joe that liberal and Democrat are not bad words anymore? I've never been prouder to wear the badge of liberal Democrat.

I nearly choked on my breakfast when he said that Krugman doesn't have 'subtlety of thought.' This from a puffy faced peon.

[clsmithj]

You guys, stop watching Morning Bloe. It's time to teach MSNBC a lesson in lower viewership for them to can that show.

I'm watching Fox & Friends again, which has become much more enjoyable to watch since election day. They do a far fairer (no pun) job of reporting than Morning Bloe.

[RobertaInCT]

Fox and Friends...­..........­...Please

[MontanaHome]

If I listen to news in the a.m., it's usually NPR.

[Gotcha54]

You are one brave soul - no way am I going over to Fox! Maybe just maybe a few tries of Shep in the primetime but the morning show - not a chance!

[MNmommy]

As much as I pick at Doucheborough and Mika (Willie too, can't stand his smarm) I refuse to give up IQ points by watching Douchey, K!llBrainCells and the !mbecil!c Minnesota embarrassment Gretchen the Beauty Queen Carlson.

[RobertaInCT]

LMAO

[Mattie]

Fox and Friends...­..LOL!

[Gotcha54]

If you like morning news shows what are the alternatives! I hate MJ but in a way I like the format and some of the guests. However, I must admit many of the guests feel very intimidated by Joe. It's nice to see the moments when a guest comes on and Joe just sits there - like when Mika (the dunce) father comes on. He's such an intelligent man and Joe knows better than to debate him.

[breakingnews]

CNN's American Morning is my alternative. I really dont care for the format, but it doesnt make me scream at the TV and wake my hubby.

[MNmommy]

:P

My hubster is very forgiving on that since he starts screaming at the TV and wakes the kids daily.

[BlueberryJane]

OMG! Mika the dunce, too rich!!!!

[MNmommy]

Feel free to correct me y'all but has Rahm Emanuel been indicted like Tom DeLay has?

I would never compare Emanuel to the bugman, I don't think he's cheated on and left wives with cancer as Gingrich has either.

And one thing is FOR SURE, neither Gingrich nor DeLay are ballet boys.

[MontanaHome]

Hi - this just made it to my paper this morning -- but it was posted yesterday. Eugene Robinson has another lovely column in the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110503926.html

Anybody else feeling calmer? These past two days have been so peaceful for me. Solid night's sleep, no anxieties during the day.. it's been great.

[RobertaInCT]

Morning Joe thinks CT will send Lieberman back to the senate in 2012......­....Yeah right!

[MNmommy]

Well, haven't we been over the subject of Joe's IQ or lack thereof a few times before?

;)

[RobertaInCT]

True......­..........­.:)

[Gotcha54]

Yeah - like every weekday! Haha! But he doesn't seem to mind. At times I get so frustrated with MSNBC I start sending out e-mails to them.

I feel most sorry for Willie - a young man following in the footsteps of Tucker. For someone so young to have been poisened by Tucker and now Joe just doesn't seem fair to our youth of America.

Just wait one day he'll come in with the bowtie! Haha!

[scooperss]

Does mika not realize that wearing a palin type *do* makes her nose look like joes, bulbous?

[Gotcha54]

Mika's really went off the deep end!

[realpolitic]

Mika is very dull. She loves Sarah Palin. Joe is such a right-wing nutcase I can not listen to the guy.

[Gotcha54]

She sure is in love with Palin!

[RobertaInCT]

She look like she's has sun bu-rned...­..........­..Yuck!

[breakingnews]

She is just flush with her girl-crush on Palin {insert eyeroll here}

[Gotcha54]

Just like clockwork the Morning Joe show just came on and nothing but snide remarks from all!

[hendigodotcom]

I really hope Obama can choose the best cabinet to realize to changes U.S.

[karmagirl1061]

That fact that repubs are upset over this pick makes me support it more.

[Flick08]

Oh yeah.

[arkansawtravler]

I can't get over all the rethuglians whining about Rahmbo. This from the idiots who supported bush in his quest to ruin America, this from hypocrites obstructed every effort to do anything, this from the loons who threatened to fillibuster every bill except for their own craven choices.

I say go for it Rahmbo, cram it down their throats, make em squirm, whine even louder, let them get down on the bathroom floor with Larry Craig their morse code expert.

[realpolitic]

They loved Rove and now they are complaining about Rahm Emanuel of all people.

[BlueberryJane]

LOL

[huffingOff]

Well, Axelrod is clearly killer smart, but between him and Emanuel it looks to be shaping up to be a meeting of the Chicago Old Boys Club. Is Obama looking for the best and the brightest period, or just the best and the brightest that he knows personally? OK, this is on topic and not abusive, and if it gets deleted I'll shoot myself.

Thank you.