A look at the insiders in the 'age of Obama'

WASHINGTON — The "Age of Obama," as some of President-elect Obama's most ardent admirers describe America's political future, comes with a cast of characters strikingly different from the last time a new Democratic administration was preparing to take power.

A few, but not many, of the Democrats on the original "FOB" ("Friends of Bill" Clinton) list in 1992 are on the new "FOB" ("Friends of Barack" Obama) list of the incoming Obama administration - signaling a major shift in the power center of the Democratic Party away from a political establishment long dominated by Clintonites.

Here is "the O-List," as some wags are calling it - the president-elect's inner circle of advisers who will matter the most in Washington once Obama takes the oath of office in January, even if they themselves don't have a formal position in the new administration:

DAVID AXLEROD

A onetime poltical reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Axelrod was the chief strategist for the Obama presidential campaign, a position he is likely to retain as a senior adviser to the new president. Axelrod's strength is not policy, but he has a talent for framing key decisions and developing winning strategies. He was responsible for Obama's theme of "change" in contrast to Hillary Clinton's boast of "experience." A New York native, the 53-year-old Axelrod is usually soft-spoken and mild-mannered but is a fierce defender of Obama. Before working with Obama, Axelrod was a longtime consultant to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.

RAHM EMANUEL

The 48-year-old congressman from Illinois, nicknamed "Rahmbo" for his hard-charging style of politics, was the first appointment Obama made after the election. He picked Emanuel as his White House chief of staff, a position more powerful than Cabinet posts. Emanuel knows his way around Capitol Hill - he was the fourth ranking Democrat in the House until accepting this job - and the White House. He was a senior adviser in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1998, and was the chief strategist for many Clinton initiatives, including health care. He later earned a personal fortune on Wall Street as an investment banker.

DAVID PLOUFFE

Just 41, Plouffe has had a long career in politics, beginning in 1990 with the re-election campaign of Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa. As manager for Obama's presidential bid, Plouffe was credited with the strategy of winning Iowa's caucus, the first event of the campaign, and focusing on winning delegates wherever possible, even in states that Hillary Clinton would carry. He also is given credit for the leak-free, no-drama character of the Obama campaign. Plouffe would have been a natural to succeed Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), but he has indicated he is not interested in doing so.

VALERIE JARRETT

Nobody on the O-List is as close to Obama and wife Michelle as Jarrett, who has mentored both as a longtime fixture in the world of Chicago politics. The 52-year-old Jarrett is CEO of Chicago's largest real estate management firm and was a senior adviser to Obama during the campaign - she called herself "a sounding board" on just about everything - and talked to the candidate every day. She is co-chair of his transition team. If she is not appointed to the Cabinet, perhaps as Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs, or is Obama's replacement in the Senate, she is likely to be his closet senior adviser in the White House.

ROBERT GIBBS

The 37-year-old Gibbs jumped to Obama's Senate race in 2004 as his press secretary after being fired from his press aide job in John Kerry's presidential campaign as part of a general shake-up in the slumping campaign in the fall of 2003. But while Gibbs has not known Obama as long as most of the people on the "O-List," the affable Southerner is one of the new president's favorites, a constant companion on the campaign trail. On the road, he had a talent for lightening the mood when needed, but never flinched from giving his boss undistilled advice. Gibbs is not one of the Obama press corps' favorites. He kept information close and ran a leak-free press operation. The Alabama native also is a steely defender of Obama, and is especially skilled on television.

PETE ROUSE

Before becoming Obama's chief of staff in the Senate in 2004, Rouse had worked more than 30 years on Capitol Hill, including a stint as chief of staff to Tom Daschle, when the South Dakotan was the Senate majority and minority leader. The 62-year-old Rouse was unofficially known as the "101st senator." He was ready to retire when Daschle was defeated in 2004, but was persuaded to join Obama's team and help him negotiate the Senate while preparing a run for the presidency. Rouse is co-chairman of the Obama transition team and could end up as deputy White House Chief of Staff or return to Capitol Hill as Obama's top lobbyist.

JASON FURMAN

The 38-year-old Furman was one of the top economic advisers to the Obama campaign. A protege of Robert Rubin, one of the architects of the Clinton administration economic policies, Furman has been a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where he has done research on taxes, health care and Social Security, areas he is likely to play a key role in as a White House adviser or in a senior post at the Treasury Department. He has had a mostly long-distance relationship with Obama. He also is an accomplished juggler, a skill for an economist.

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE

A noted business professor at the University of Chicago, Goolsbee has been advising Obama on economic matters since the president-elect ran for the Senate in 2004 and is widely expected to head the new White House economics team. His academic research has also focused on the Internet and his interest in the Web was influential in the Obama campaign's unprecedented use of the Internet in organizing and fundraising. A centrist who defends free trade, the 37-year-old economist got unwanted attention in March after a Canadian consulate memo asserted that Goolsbee privately told Canadian officials that Obama's public statements critical of NAFTA was "political positioning."

GREG CRAIG

The 64-year-old Craig was one of the most loyal Clintonistas until he became an Obama foreign policy adviser. Craig, in fact, headed the team of lawyers who defended Clinton against the impeachment charges brought against the president by Congress. But during the 2008 Democratic primaries, it was Craig who wrote the Obama campaign memo that was shared with the media that mocked Hillary Clinton's inflated claims of having come under sniper fire as first lady and questioned her credentials to be commander in chief. He also played the part of Republican nominee John McCain in Obama's debate preparations. Craig could be a national security adviser in the administration or White House counsel.

JAMES STEINBERG

Dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin, Steinberg may be the least known of Obama's advisers, just the way he likes it. He could, however, end up running the National Security Council in Obama's White House. He was the deputy national security adviser in the Clinton White House from 1996 to 2000 and was Clinton's personal representative to the 1998 and 1999 G-8 summits. He was reportedly one of the principal authors of Obama's speech on the Middle East to AIPAC last June. The 57-year-old Steinberg has extensive experience on Capitol Hill and at the State and Justice departments.

TOM DASCHLE

The former Senate majority leader appeared to be in the running for White House chief of staff until Emanuel's appointment, but Daschle may end up in a Cabinet post, perhaps Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 60-year-old has done extensive work on health care policy since losing his Senate seat in 2004. He considered running for president in 2008, but declined and threw his support - and extensive political organization - behind Obama long before the primaries began. He served not only as the co-chair of Obama's campaign but also was a top adviser on many issues.

DICK DURBIN

As the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Durbin will be important to the Obama administration in its legislative initiatives. He is likely to play a key role in the Obama administration's efforts at unwinding the U.S. war in Iraq. He was one of the few Democrats who opposed the resolution authorizing President Bush's invasion of Iraq. The 63-year-old Durbin, also from Illinois, is one of Obama's staunchest allies in the Senate. He also is well-liked in the Senate and makes good use of humor. But he can be a tough partisan as well. Durbin is leading efforts to remove Sen. Joe Lieberman from his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security Committee for having attacked Obama during the campaign.