Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Axelrod Still Obama's Guardian, Attack Dog

Strategist turned senior adviser enjoys unparalleled access

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Mar 9, 2009 9:01 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama’s coterie has grown substantially since taking office, but nobody has as much access as David Axelrod, campaign strategist turned special adviser. Though he spends his days fine-tuning every speech, poring over polls, and orchestrating political battles, the New York Times reports, Axelrod is wary of any comparison to a similar figure in the Bush administration: Karl Rove.

Axelrod sees himself as a protector of Obama and his message, not someone with his own broader political strategy. Indeed, the onetime Chicago reporter has made an abrupt transition to Washington’s power circles—“Look, they made me a bureaucrat,” he said showing off a government ID—but remains a voice of outside-the-Beltway reason. “It’s very important to have someone there to understand why Barack Obama ran for president,” says Obama’s campaign manager.

President Barack Obama, followed by senior adviser David Axelrod, walks to the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 17, 2009.
President Barack Obama, followed by senior adviser David Axelrod, walks to the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 17, 2009.   (AP Photo)
White House senior adviser David Axelrod appears on Meet the Press, Feb. 15, 2009, at the NBC studios in Washington.
White House senior adviser David Axelrod appears on "Meet the Press," Feb. 15, 2009, at the NBC studios in Washington.   (Meet The Press)
David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, speaks on one of the morning news shows Feb. 24, 2009, outside the White House.
David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, speaks on one of the morning news shows Feb. 24, 2009, outside the White House.   (AP Photo)
In this Nov. 24, 2008, file photo, David Axelrod listens to President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago.
In this Nov. 24, 2008, file photo, David Axelrod listens to President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

White House's Preferred First-100-Days Story Lines

In Obama's White House, Informality Rules

Pay Cut, Scrutiny Await Axelrod in DC

Gibbs Likely to Go In White House Shakeup

White House Begins Staff Overhaul


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne