Obama Central: Peace, Harmony and Deep Secrecy

Obama Central: Peace, Harmony and Deep Secrecy

By Anne E. Kornblut
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 3, 2008; Page A15

CHICAGO -- The bustling Obama headquarters on North Michigan Avenue invites comparisons to a start-up, teeming with young people in jeans clutching BlackBerrys as they walk through the halls. Yet in Democratic circles, another, potentially less welcome, parallel is being made: to the tight-knit and tight-lipped organization eight years ago of George W. Bush.

Decisions are guarded with extreme secrecy, none more so than the upcoming vice presidential selection, and that has occasionally irked members of Congress. In recent days, as Republicans publicly accused Sen. Barack Obama of appearing presumptuous during his presidential-style trip to Europe, Democrats privately expressed concerns that Obama has become too Chicago-centric, relying on his inner circle rather than a broader group that encourages input from Washington and elsewhere.

"One of the great strengths of this campaign from the very beginning has been the cohesion, the sense of camaraderie, and the lack of drama," said David Axelrod, a leader of the no-drama movement with his casual wardrobe and low-key demeanor.

"That is highly unusual in national campaigns," Axelrod added. "And one of the challenges moving forward is to expand and bring in more talent, people from other campaigns and other places, and still maintain that culture we began with. I think it's happening. But it's a process, and it fights the normal physics of national politics."

The current challenge is how to retain that cohesion while expanding to include former Clinton advisers and how to accommodate a chattier group of Washington insiders. It was certainly not the norm inside the Ballston offices of Obama's main rival during the primaries. When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign was collapsing under the weight of outsize egos and infighting, the Obama team watched from afar and patted itself on the back for being different.


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201687.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2008080300023&pos=

NGU.

they don't want to re-locate to Chicago.. Let's have a little more whine with that cheese.

. . . does it it's somehow bad. ??

The washington democratic insiders are a bunch of idiots who cannot keep their mouths shut, who can't figure out of they are more interested in their cocktail and media circuit life with the big house and the trophy wife than in a party victory, who cannot be bothered to do their homework before they get sandbagged on CorpMedia for the 27th time, and who are always willing to bash their own when given an opportunity. Gobama.

The washington democratic insiders are a bunch of idiots who cannot keep their mouths shut, who can't figure out of they are more interested in their cocktail and media circuit life with the big house and the trophy wife than in a party victory, who cannot be bothered to do their homework before they get sandbagged on CorpMedia for the 27th time, and who are always willing to bash their own when given an opportunity. Gobama.