BREAKING-Valerie Jarrett will be Obama's WH Senior Advisor and Counselor

[jenmito]

Per MSNBC.

[chimpymustgo]

1. She seems like a smart, lovely woman.

Would her job be comparable to Rove (shudder to write his name)?

Damn, let's bring dignity back to the White House.

[asjr]

2. So far it looks as if

Obama is getting the best of the best.

[TexasObserver]

25. "The best, of the best, of the best, SIR!"

--- Men in Black


I make this look good!

[Diamonique]

3. I think Axelrod will have the "advisor" job that's comparable to Rove.

I think I read that somewhere.

[4_Legs_Good]

4. Guess she's not getting his Senate seat

Which I think is what he originally wanted.

Sounds like she'll be great to have on the team!

David

[jenmito]

6. I'm hoping Jesse Jackson, Jr. will get his Senate seat. n/t

[Skwmom]

8. I'd really like to see him get that seat. I'll never forget his speech in 2000

on the floor of the house when he talked about not getting one Senator to sign the challenge to ratifying the electoral college count.

[catgirl]

5. I like this news

I saw her interviewed recently, and she strikes me as someone with integrity
and smarts.

[jenmito]

7. So do I, but I'd be a little jealous if I was Michelle (even though she's good friends

with Valerie, too.) I know Michelle introduced her to him, but still. I'd be jealous.

[gblady]

11. huh?

[jenmito]

14. I'd be a little jealous of another woman working so closely with my husband. n/t

[Thrill]

9. This isn't the White House Cousel position

[jenmito]

15. What IS it then? More of an informal role?

[Thrill]

18. Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison

Ms. Jarrett’s role will be threefold, as is her title: White House Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison. A longstanding member of Barack Obama’s tiny core of top advisers, she will continue providing him with counsel on a wide-ranging set of issues, she said Friday evening. Second, she will serve as the White House’s point person for business with state and local officials. Additionally, she will supervise the Office of Public Liaison, a relatively quiet office which she hopes to turn into a more active channel for government-citizen collaboration.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/14/obama-taps-jarrett-for-senior-role/

[jenmito]

19. Thanks for the article. I just wrote what MSNBC claimed her position would be. Thanks for

clarifying. :hi:

[OneGrassRoot]

10. Not sure how reliable the wiki page is, but her family....

is soooo impressive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Jarrett

It also says Vernon Jordan is her godfather (I think that's what it said the connection is...just scanned quickly).

[Ilsa]

24. Da-yum. You're not kidding:

Jarrett was born in Shiraz, Iran, where her father, Dr. James Bowman, ran a hospital for children as part of a program that sent American doctors and agricultural experts to developing countries to help jump-start their health and farming efforts. At age 5, the family moved to London for one year, then returned to Chicago in 1963. Her father, who is of African American descent, is a pathologist and geneticist. He is currently Professor Emeritus in Pathology and Medicine, University of Chicago.<3><4> Her great-grandfather was the first African-American to graduate from M.I.T., her grandfather was Robert Taylor the first black man to head the Chicago Housing Authority, and her father, Dr. James Bowman, was the first black resident at St. Luke’s Hospital. Though Ms. Jarrett has never worked in Washington, her great-uncle is Democratic powerbroker Vernon Jordan. <5> Her mother, Barbara T. Bowman, is an African-American early childhood education expert and co-founder of the Erikson Institute for child development.<5><6>

She graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon, a New England boarding school, in 1974. She also received a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University in 1978, and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

[JJ]

12. Breaking: water is wet.

:evilgrin:

[jenmito]

17. Unless it's frozen.

:D

[blondeatlast]

13. The September issue of American Vogue has a great, extensive article on her.

She's a major asset. I posted a snippet when I got my copy; it's a very good read.

[jenmito]

16. I read it. Very long and interesting article.

She's VERY impressive.

[Lex]

20. She is an extremely trusted friend and has been there for both Michelle and Barack

from the beginning, if it's the same woman I'm thinking of.

Very smart and capable too.

[jenmito]

21. Yup, that's her.

[livedemocarticordie]

22. her birthday is today

...had to laugh at her horoscope:

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (NOV. 14). You are learning to trust your divine guidance system. The next six weeks bring evidence that helps you understand how protected and loved you really are. You’ll be wined and dined in December. You make an important career move in January. You’re self-assured in February and will speak up for what’s right.

[jenmito]

23. I read about her birthday and the "gift" from Obama of this position...

but that horoscope is FREAKY! I never believed it that stuff, but that's just weird!