Great article in the New York Times Magazine about Valerie Jarrett's role in the white house as the closest personal advisor to both Barrack and Michelle. Apparently both Rahm and and Axelrod have worries about her level of influence with the President (understandably), but everything seems to be running pretty smoothly.
A few minutes later, Jarrett left the Oval Office, walked down the hall to the Roosevelt Room and greeted the travel executives. She had barely finished telling them, "The president really cares about this," when the door flew open, and Obama strolled in. He shook everyone’s hand and then, to their astonished delight, took a seat. For the next half-hour, he listened closely and asked pointed questions. "It was the first time," one amazed participant would later say, "that any president has sat down with our industry in any meaningful way."
Before departing, Obama gestured to the unassuming African-American woman at the other end of the conference table. "Valerie’s my business liaison," he told them. "She’ll be working very closely with your industry."
I think she is the closest advisor Barrack has other than Michelle. Many do not know that she has big connections into business and government and has played key roles on both ends of that relationship for many years in Chicago. She also has the pulse of all the racial issues that keep popping up whack a mole style.....I'll bet $50 that she told Obama to invite Gates and the Cop to the White House for a friendly meet-up and discussion with beers.
Anyway the article is 9 pages long and an interesting read with a couple of disappointments, like where the author seems surprised that Jarrett is not wasting any time trying to manage the Sotomayor nomination (no point, confirmation is assured).
Read the story and tell me what you think the politics of the inner circle is.