By Toby Harnden, US Editor
Published: 1:30PM GMT 11 Jan 2010

Telegraph.co.uk is presenting its second list of the 100 most influential conservatives and 100 most influential liberals in America a year after Barack Obama took the oath on the steps of the Capitol to become the 44th President of the United States.

The lists are both divided into five with 20 people in each 'instalment' and published over five successive days.


100. JOHN EDWARDS (24)

Former presidential candidate, former vice-presidential nominee, former Senator and former trial lawyer

Few politicians have fallen so far, so fast as John Edwards, who has become a byword for sexual sleaziness even in a profession where it’s rife. Having admitted cheating on his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth, Edwards denied fathering his mistress’s love child but the timelines didn’t make sense and no one – not even the implausibly loyal Mrs Edwards, believed him.

The former trial lawyer campaigned against poverty while enjoying ostentatious wealth and charging hefty lecture fees. It was recently revealed he tried to simultaneously cut deals with both Obama and Hillary Clinton to make him their vice-presidential running mate in 2008 – even though it could have cost his party the White House once his infidelities were revealed. The aide he allegedly tried to pay off to keep his mistress quiet has a tell-all book out next month. Watch this space.

99. WANDA SYKES (-)

Actress and comedienne

Took her chance at the White House Correspondents Dinner to accuse conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh of treason and said she hoped his kidneys failed – prompting laughter among many liberals and a grin from Obama. That performance catapulted her into getting her own show on Fox TV.

A Washington DC native who worked as a procurement officer for the National Security Agency for six years in her pre-Hollywood life, Sykes revels in her status as the first black lesbian talk show host. Announcing its purpose, she said: “The Obamas are all too placid to get up in people’s faces. That’s why I’m here”. Surely this was the first time an American television show has been created to defend a sitting president.

98. STAN GREENBERG (75)

Pollster

The godfather of Democratic pollsters and strategists, who coined the term “Reagan Democrats” to describe the blue collar drift to Republicanism. He was chief pollster for Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and has also advised Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela, Gerhard Schroeder and Ehud Barak.

His polling during the 2008 campaign interpreted the electorate’s feelings with unerring accuracy. As the 2010 mid-terms approach, his dissections of independent voter opinion could prove invaluable – and highly alarming – to the Democratic Party.

Biggest compliment he has received came from Republican rival Frank Luntz: “Stan Greenberg scares the hell out of me. He doesn't just have a finger on the people's pulse; he's got an IV injected into it. He's the best."

97. JESSE JACKSON (44)

Civil Rights Activist

When Jesse Jackson was filmed with tears streaming down his face at Obama’s inauguration, the cynics wondered whether he was weeping at least partly because the event rendered him irrelevant. Some argue that his 1984 and 1988 presidential runs paved the way for Obama. But relations between the two men have been strained, especially since Jackson was caught accusing the then candidate of “talking down to black people” and saying: “I want to cut his nuts out."

Seen by many on the Right as a race baiter and viewed with suspicion from some in the civil rights movement who believe he exaggerated his role on the day Martin Luther King died and cares only about self-promotion. Was criticised recently after taking aim against Congressman Artur Davis, another among the new breed of black politicians, when he insisted: “You can't vote against health care and call yourself a black man.

96. JIMMY CARTER (72)

Jimmy Carter; The most influential US liberals

The weakness and failures of his 1977-1981 tenure remain a spectre that haunts the current White House, and provides Right-wing critics with ready material with which to bait the 44th president.

But even at the age of 85, Carter hasn’t succumbed to irrelevance or lost the knack of making headlines, as he demonstrated by becoming the first public figure to label Congressman Joe Wilson’s outburst at President Obama as racist.

Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, his supporters view him as the moral conscience of the Democratic Party. He has been a staunch backer of Obama, but that could change if the President’s diplomacy doesn’t tilt away from Israel in the Middle East, one of Carter’s abiding interests.

95. ROBERT BYRD (32)

Robert Byrd; The most influential US liberals

The 92-year-old Senator, who entered in the Senate in 1959 and has cast more than 18,500 votes, arrived for the historic healthcare vote in a wheelchair to cheers from his fellow Democrats. But his failing health has led him to miss 40 per cent of recent votes and he is clearly in his twilight years – more of a symbol than the force he once was.

He has surrendered his powerful position as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and was badly affected by the death of his friend Senator Ted Kennedy, to whom he delivered a poignant tribute on the Senate floor. A former member of the Ku Klux Klan who once said he would never serve alongside blacks in the US military, he helped Barack Obama find his feet in the Senate.

94. KARL EIKENBERRY (-)

US Ambassador to Afghanistan

A former commander in Afghanistan, and now ambassador, during the surge debate Eikenberry did what diplomats are never meant to do by making the headlines. Two memos, very probably leaked by the White House, indicated his deep scepticism about sending large troop reinforcements – thereby aligning himself with Vice President Joe Biden. His relationship with Hamid Karzai, and his success in persuading the Afghan president to clean up his government, will be crucial to America’s success in south Asia.

93. LEE HAMILTON (-)

The former long-time Indiana congressman is now one of the Wise Old Men of the Democratic foreign policy establishment and a favourite of Obama. A member of the Iraq Study Group and before that the 9/11 Commission, look for Hamilton if Obama needs a respected and trusted safe pair of hands to investigate a homeland security failure.

Something of a mentor to Obama – who had a lot to learn about foreign policy when he entered office and arguably still has – Hamilton is eager to impart his experience. Just before Obama’s inauguration, Hamilton convened a small group of scholars on South Asia and the Middle East and South Asia for a meeting with the president-elect that went on into the small hours.

92. CHRIS MATTHEWS (38)

Chris Matthews; The most influential US liberals

The fast-talking front man of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews wears his heart on his sleeve but knows and loves his politics. More intellectually honest than MSNBC’s kneejerk Lefties, Matthews is prepared to give Republicans a chance on occasion – though he was much mocked for announcing his passion for Obama by stating he “felt this thrill going up my leg” when he heard him speak.

Matthews decided against running for the Senate in Pennsylvania. Former Capitol Hill aide to the “all politics is local” House Speaker Tip O’Neill and a presidential speechwriter for Jimmy Carter.

91. MICHAEL MOORE (7)

Michael Moore; The most influential US liberals

A reviewer of Moore’s 2007 movie Sicko, about the American health system, summed up his career as being “a multimedia attempt to undo Reagan's great achievement: persuading blue-collar factory workers and other members of the working class to embrace his heady brew of jingoism, anticommunism, contempt for government and admiration for the virtues of unfettered capitalism”.

By that standard, the university dropout from Flint, Michigan has failed miserably. But his Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) on the war on terror (the second highest-grossing documentary of all time) and Bowling for Columbine (2002) about the gun lobby became the far Left’s contribution to key debates. But with liberalism now mainstream and in the White House (where Moore is unlikely to be a guest) the filmmaker’s influence seems to be on the wane.

90. HAROLD FORD (95)

Chairman: Democratic Leadership Council

The former congressman’s narrow defeat in the Tennessee Senate race of 2006 has led to a spell in the political wilderness. He’s clearly itching for a return and is reported to be mulling an audacious bid for Hillary Clinton’s old Senate seat in New York – currently occupied by the unimpressive Kirsten Gillibrand.

Ford’s centrist DLC is a marginal player in the Democratic party favour these days and he is regarded with intense suspicion by the Left, which could derail his Senate hopes. But he has broad electoral appeal and New York has favoured carpet backers before. He is married to blonde Manhattan fashion designer Emily Threlkeld.

89. ANTHONY ROMERO (-)

Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union

Under Romero’s leadership the ACLU has seen membership, budget and staffing numbers all grow handsomely. The Bush administration’s war on terror policies gave the decades-old institution fertile ground for litigation and advocacy that it has never failed to utilise.

It has been also been a thorn in the side of the Obama administration, suing for the release of photographs documenting abuse of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan by United States military personnel and prompting a liberal president to backtrack on an earlier commitment.

The ACLU has never been afraid to remind the media, its members and the political classes that the current president often follows his predecessor on terror policy.

88. JOE TRIPPI (39)

Joe Trippi; The most influential US liberals

Trippi, 53, is one of the most sought-after political strategists and an ever-present on the presidential campaign circuit. Has worked for Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale and Gary Hart and turned Howard Dean into an unlikely front runner in 2004.

A former Silicon Valley consultant, Trippi was the first political operative to appreciate and then realise the potential of the internet, and as such his work in 2004 laid the foundations for Obama’s victorious campaign four years later. A key strategist in John Edwards’s 2008 campaign, he survived the subsequent debacle over the former candidate’s love child and is likely to feature prominently as Democratic Senate candidates battle to keep the party’s majority.

87. CHRISTINE ROMER (-)

Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers

Her role is to examine government projects and the general economic environment before recommending policy. Hired from Berkeley because of her expertise on the Great Depression, many of her prior views however contradicted with the president’s. For instance, she believed that the Federal Reserve had little impact on the economic outlook by fiscal devices such as lowering or raising interest rates. Has maintained a low-key profile but is an important voice in guiding the president through the economic crisis.

86. GEORGE SOROS (15)

Billionaire businessman and donor

The 78-year-old Hungarian-born speculator who helped bring down communism in Poland and Czechoslovakia and the Bank of England – on Black Wednesday in 1992 - failed to do the same to George W Bush in 2004 after stating the previous year that this was the "central focus of my life".

In 2008, he was determined that Hillary Clinton would win back the White House for Democrats but had to settle for an Obama win instead. Thanks to his substantial donations to Democratic-supporting organisations, such as MoveOn.org and the Centre for American Progress, he remains a bogeyman for the Right, with bloggers deriding him as Obama’s puppetmaster. But he has criticised the Obama administration for falling short in its efforts to overhaul the financial system.

85. DENNIS ROSS (-)

White House adviser on Middle East

Having managed the push for an Israeli-Palestinian deal during the Clinton administration, he is regarded as one of the sagest voices on foreign affairs in Washington. Palestinians and their supporters note that he is Jewish and view him as unwaveringly pro-Israel but grudgingly respect his negotiating skills.

The veteran statesman started life in the Obama administration as the State Department's Iran envoy before moving in June 2009 to the White House as a special assistant on the “Central region”, which includes the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia. Although low-profile, he is central to Obama’s foreign policy ambitions, which include – eventually – a Middle East peace settlement.

84. ELIOT SPITZER (52)

Former Governor of New York

Few falls from grace have been as shocking, or have attracted as much schadenfreude, as Spitzer’s. But when the moralistic, workaholic self-appointed enforcer was revealed to be a regular client of a high-priced prostitution ring, it was perhaps not quite a lethal blow to his political hopes.

After more than a year out of the limelight, he has begun teaching a law and public policy class at City University of New York and writing a column for Slate website. Rumours abound that he may run for state comptroller or another state-wide office later in the year. It’s a far cry from being a rising figure on the national political stage and potential President, but we probably have not seen the last of a man who once told an opponent: “Listen, I'm a f---ing steamroller and I'll roll over you and anybody else."

83. EVAN BAYH (10)

Senator for Indiana

Clever, personable and centrist former governor of a red state, Bayh was on Barack Obama’s vice presidential shortlist but lost out in part because of Joe Biden’s foreign policy experience. He also lost out in 2004 when John Kerry picked John Edwards as his running mate.

Though Bayh has repeatedly been tipped for great things, since Obama took office, he has found himself at odds with the Democratic party’s senate leadership and the White House. Late in the health care debate he came off the fence and threatened to filibuster against any bill that contained a public option. Left-wing blogs pointed out that his wife had amassed a fortune in stock payments from Wellpoint, an insurance company in Indiana.

The son of former Senator Birch Bayh, he is set for a long career in the Senate but is considered by Democratic power brokers to have moved too far to the Right to have a realistic chance of the White House or even the veep slot.

82. ANNISE PARKER (-)

Mayor of Houston

The first openly gay mayor of one of America’s top 10 biggest cities, polls found that the Democrat’s orientation mattered to only 18 per cent of voters, but it helped that she had been open about her sexuality throughout her public career, which began with election to the city council in 1997.

Formerly the city’s controller, she campaigned on her expertise and financial acumen, rarely mentioning the potential uniqueness of her bid. After her victory she joked that she was "very proud to have been elected the first ... graduate of Rice University to be mayor of Houston".

Aged 53, she has adopted three children with her longtime companion. She arguably has done more for the gay rights cause than a president who has infuriated the community by putting their preoccupations firmly on the back
burner.

81. BEN NELSON (-)

Senator for Nebraska

When he became the 60th vote for the Democrats on their healthcare bill in the Senate, Nelson was vilified by the Right and received precious little credit from the Left. A former Nebraska governor and one of the most successful Democratic politicians ever in a very conservative state, the signs are that the voters will punish him when he is up for re-election in 2012. His approval rating in his home state has plummeted to 40 per cent.

Nelson is that rare creature – a senior Democrat who is against abortion rights. The Right hoped that this would lead him to oppose the healthcare bill but a string of financial gifts for Nebraska (which became known as the "Cornhusker Kickback") helped sway him. Now, Nelson says he wants this deal to be extended to all other states. Could he change his mind again and vote against final passage of the bill?

Lists compiled by the Telegraph staff in Washington – Toby Harnden, Alex Spillius, Rachel Ray, Andrea Viola and Meghan Cassin


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6951192/The-most-influential-US-liberals-100-81.html

You forgot some.

George Bush

Dickhead Cheney

Trent Lott

Rush limpdickblob

Sean Hannity

Bill O' Really

Glenn Beck

Patty Buchannon

Mike the Wienner Savage

Suck Poop Joe

Sara spreas Em Wide Polin'

John McCain

Nigger Colin Powell

Mark Sqweeky Levine

Bill suckameanjewdick Cunningham

Jarjar no balls Taylor

You forgot some.

George Bush

Dickhead Cheney

Trent Lott

Rush limpdickblob

Sean Hannity

Bill O' Really

Glenn Beck

Patty Buchannon

Mike the Wienner Savage

Suck Poop Joe

Sara spreas Em Wide Polin'

John McCain

Nigger Colin Powell

Mark Sqweeky Levine

Bill suckameanjewdick Cunningham

Jarjar no balls Taylor

The Telegraph is publishing the full list over the next few days so you can 'look forward' to seeing those names soon. :)

80. Bo Obama (-)

First Dog of the United States (FDOTUS)

A gift to the President from the late Senator Edward Kennedy last April, the new First Dog immediately became a media sensation – and a potent symbol of the uncritical, adoring coverage that the new President has received from the mainstream media. During the campaign, Obama talked often of having promised a puppy for his daughters Malia and Sasha, stipulating that it had to be a hypoallergenic breed because of Malia’s allergies.

After flirting with the idea of getting a “mutt like me”, Obama instead chose a Portuguese Water Dog with an American Kennel Club lineage. The Washington Post was given an “exclusive” for the story and its reporter dutifully described the dog thus: “Bo's a handsome little guy. Well suited for formal occasions at the White House, he's got tuxedo-black fur, with a white chest, white paws and a rakish white goatee.” The White House doles out regular photos of Bo, who has his own blog and several imitators on Twitter. No doubt a book deal cannot be far off.

79. Jon Favreau (-)

Presidential speechwriter

The subject of numerous gushing profiles, no end of superlatives have been attributed to President Obama’s lead speechwriter - though given his boss’s pen power Favreau has probably a less onerous task than many predecessors.

The former John Kerry staffer is attributed with having a natural understanding of the president’s views and thought patterns, and has played a part in most of the orations that carried a little known senator to the White House.

At 28, he is horribly young and is often described as being highly desirable to the capital’s single female population. As Ana Marie Cox twittered: “No matter what happens in the Obama transition, 1 thing is for sure: Jon Favreau will still get laid as often as he wants.”

78. Colin Powell (23)

Although officially a Republican, Powell secretly met then Senator Barack Obama in 2006 and urged him to run for President. Then, he endorsed the Democratic candidate in the home stretch of the 2008 election at the most damaging possible time for his old friend Senator John McCain.

A former National Security Adviser under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State under George W. Bush, Powell was central to making the case for the Iraq war at the United Nations, an act for which he now appears determined to atone. He has denied wanting a seat in Obama’s cabinet but as the former Gulf War military commander he would be a natural choice for Pentagon chief when Bob Gates eventually steps down. Alternatively, Powell would probably jump at being Secretary for Education – the subject closest to his heart since George W. Bush dispensed with his services as Secretary of State after the 2004 election.

Having passed up the opportunity to bid to become the first black President when he pondered running against Bill Clinton in 1996, Powell appears heavily invested in doing everything he can to help the man who subsequently achieved that feat.

77. Max Baucus (-)

Senator for Montana

As chairman of the Senate finance committee, Baucus plays a crucial role in formulating a bill that won the support of all 60 in the Democratic caucus – though he failed to entice a single Republican.

Reflecting his state’s conservatism – and his own need for political survival - he has often clashed with the party’s leadership, especially when supporting Bush’s 2001 tax cuts. Already something of a bête noire for liberals - American Prospect dubbed him Bad Max – his role in diluting health care proposals will make him even more unpopular on the Left.

Baucus has attracted unwelcome headlines recently after he split from his second wife Wanda Minge and began a relationship with his state office director Melodee Hanes, whom he then nominated to be a US attorney in Montana. The Senator appears to have survived the kerfuffle and the couple live in Capitol Hill’s trendy Eastern Market neighbourhood.

76. James Carville (74)

Long known as the “Ragin’ Cajun” – a nickname he dislikes – Carville was the model for the profane redneck adviser to Jack Stanton in the novel and movie Primary Colors. The portrait was drawn from Carville’s finest hour when he was the manager of Bill Clinton’s winning presidential campaign of 1992 and coined the immortal slogan “it’s the economy, stupid” to masterful effect. He is married to Mary Matalin, a leading Republican strategist, in one of the rare bipartisan marriages in Washington.

Increasingly a television personality rather than campaign operative, he fiercely supported Hillary Clinton in the primary and then quickly got onboard with Obama once he won the nomination. Carville is well practiced in the darker arts of politics and was the designated hit man for Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, whom Bill Clinton believed had betrayed him by backing Obama. After being quoted as calling Richardson a “Judas”, Carville gleefully stated: “I said it. I was quoted accurately. I was quoted in context. I thought it was an appropriate metaphor.” He then expanded on his point in an op-ed in the New York Times. November’s mid-term elections will tell us whether he will live to rue the day he titled his latest book: 40 More Years - How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation.

75. Robert Bauer (-)

White House Counsel

Yet another old face from Chicago, Bauer was brought in to replace Gregory Craig in the most controversial episode of the administration so far when Craig – a favourite of the Left – was pushed out when Obama moved to the centre on issues like closing Guantanamo and constitutional rights for Guantanamo Bay inmates.

Bauer was both Obama’s personal lawyer and lawyer for his presidential campaign, when he negotiated all legal contracts. He is best remembered during the campaign for having crashed a Clinton campaign conference call, taking vigourous issue with the claims of Clinton apparatchiks. In a case of revolving doors, Bauer arrived at the White House as his wife Anita Dunn, White House communications director and the man voice in the “war” on Fox News, was leaving.

74. John Paul Stevens (64)

Supreme Court Justice

In his 90th year, Stevens is in apparent good health but is rumoured to be considering retirement. Such a decision would allow Obama to choose a successor in good time – as the most liberal member, the balance of the court would not change. Although appointed by the President Gerald Ford, a Republican, Stevens is beyond the pale for conservatives.

He has led judicial attempts to phase out the use of the death penalty and to rein in the Bush administration as it used what he viewed as unconstitutional methods to interrogate and detain Islamist suspects.

73. Donna Brazile (17)

Strategist and Commentator

Brazile worked on every presidential campaign from 1984 to 2000 but sat out 2008 as a commentator for CNN. Although she remained officially neutral, as the primary campaign wore on it became increasingly clear that her heart was with Obama. In an appearance on the Stephen Coilbert show, she quipped: “Look, I'm a woman, so I like Hillary. I'm black; I like Obama. But I'm also grumpy, so I like John McCain.”

In 2000, she became the first black operative to run a major presidential campaign when she headed up Al Gore’s bid for the White House. These days, consultancy, book writing and punditry are more her forte but she remains a very powerful voice in Democratic politics. In an age of hyper-partisanship, it is also notable that few Democrats are liked and admired by as many Republicans as Brazile.

72. George Mitchell (-)

Special Envoy to the Middle East

The former Senate Majority Leader and chairman of the long-running and fractious talks that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, Mitchell has one of the most difficult jobs in government. Cut his teeth in the Senate facing down Colonel Oliver North during the Iran-Contra hearings and turned down a seat on the US Supreme Court under Bill Clinton – an honour few pass up.

With the Israeli-Palestinian situation deadlocked, Mitchell is due to visit Paris and Brussels next week to try to inject some momentum into the political process before heading to the Middle East later in the month. His boss Hillary Clinton has just stated that the US will seek an agreement that reconciles two competing visions: "the Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state based on the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with secure and recognized borders that reflect subsequent developments and meet Israeli security requirements”. If the famously calm and even-handed Mitchell cannot help pull this off then perhaps no one can.

71. Rod Blagojevich (-)

Former Governor of Illinois

His arrest on charges of trying to sell Obama’s vacant Senate seat were a quick reminder, coming early in the transition, that awkward events, and awkward people, have a habit of disrupting the best laid plans.

The jaw-dropping brazenness of his conversations with advisers, recorded by Chicago police, was then matched by an unforgettably bizarre press conference, when he refused to resign, and ended with by quoting Kipling. "If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you," he said, reciting If.

The episode has done nothing for Chicago's image, and has been a serious nuisance for a president whose opponents would taint him with the brush of the Windy City’s famously corrupt politics. The upshot may also be that his old seat ends up in Republican hands in November. Watch out for Blago’s book, which came with a six-figure advance to pay down some down of his mountainous debts and could deliver bombshell accusations about his involvement with members of Obama’s inner circle.

70. Bernie Sanders (-)

Independent and self-proclaimed Socialist, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was elected as Vermont’s junior senator in 2006 after 16 years as the tiny state’s only member of the House of Representatives. A consistent opponent of legislation he perceives as benefiting corporations and rich people, Sanders caucuses with the Democrats, along with fellow Independent and foreign policy hawk Joe Lieberman. But his acceptance by the Democrats came at the end of a rocky road along which Sanders routinely insulted Obama’s party. Liberal Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts observed that Sanders “offends just about everyone” - but his New England constituents haven’t seemed to care.

True to style, Sanders announced in December that he would put a hold on the nomination of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term. Bernanke, who has since been reconfirmed, was named TIME magazine’s Person of the Year in the same month. “Clearly this guy is part of the problem,” Sanders said in an interview, referring to Bernanke.

69. Kal Penn (-)

White House liaison officer

The White House’s gain has been the loss of viewers of Fox TV’s House. The 32-year-old actor gave up the biggest and most lucrative role of his career alongside Hugh Laurie to serve as Obama’s associate director of the White House office of public engagement.

Acting as a liaison with the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, he has gone back to using his birth name, Kalpen Modi. Born in New Jersey, both his parents are immigrants from Gujarat, an experience that informed his best film role, in Mira Nair’s The Namesake. Politically active before entering the White House, he has been keen to avoid accusations of celebrity favouritism, and has kept a surprisingly low profile.

68. Dan Pfeiffer (-)

Dan Pfeiffer; The most influential US liberals

White House Director of Communications

Starting the administration as deputy director of communications, he was the obvious choice to succeed Anita Dunn when she left in late 2009. One of the many graduates of Tom Daschle’s Senate office to work in Obama’s campaign team, Pfeiffer, just 34, quickly carved a reputation for mature and sound management and adroit use of video to connect with voters.

He isn’t one to court the limelight but has become an increasingly acerbic blogger, castigating former Vice-President Dick Cheney for criticising Obama over the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack without first condemning al-Qaeda. He forms one half of one of Washington’s new Democratic power couples - his wife Sarah Feinberg is a senior advisor to Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff.

67. Keith Olbermann (67)

Presenter, MSNBC

A former sports reporter and baseball expert, Olbermann has used his MSNBC cable show Countdown to style himself the alternative to Bill O’Reilly, promoting an increasingly liberal agenda and engaging in a periodical feud with his rival on Fox. In terms of ratings, it has not been a roaring success, but he will be a force on the Left for some time to come.

He has been diagnosed with Wittmaack-Ekbom's syndrome, also known as “restless legs syndrome” and “Jimmy jitters”, which critics have connected to his broadcasting style. Hasn’t been afraid to criticise Obama, not least for going easy on Bush administration officials involved in excessive war on terror practices. Failure to prosecute, he said that a future would “look back to what you did about Mr Bush or what you did not do and see precedent. Prosecute, Mr President. Even if you do not get one conviction you still will have accomplished good for generations unborn”.

66. Arne Duncan (-)

Hoop Dreams have come true for 45-year-old Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, whose basketball games with best friend John W. Rogers Jr (an Obama adviser and ex-husband of the White House’s Social Secretary Desiree Rogers), and Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother, helped secure his spot in Obama’s Cabinet. Duncan, a Chicago native and former CEO of the huge Chicago Public Schools system, grew up tutoring students at his mother’s after-school program on the city’s South Side and has referred to schooling as “the civil rights issue of our generation” He has played professional basketball in Australia.

Duncan’s challenge is the reshaping of President George W. Bush’s controversial No Child Left Behind Act, which Duncan supported. It’s perhaps a good thing for Duncan that Obama is concentrating on golf rather than basketball because the Education Secretary has his work cut out. A pragmatist, Duncan supported charter schools and merit pay for teachers in Chicago – stances that pit him against the powerful Democratic players in the teachers’ unions.

65. Jim Webb (14)

Senator for Virginia

Decorated for bravery in Vietnam, Webb wrote Fields of Fire, an unvarnished account of platoon-level combat drawn from his own war experience and several other novels. A Republican up until a decade ago and one-time Navy Secretary under President Ronald Reagan, Webb became one of the most trenchant critics of the Iraq war long before the 2003 invasion, arguing in 2002 that it would mean having to “physically occupy territory in the Middle East for the next 30 to 50 years” and charging that “those who are pushing for a unilateral war in Iraq know full well that there is no exit strategy if we invade and stay”.

Since narrowly defeating Senator George Allen in a major upset in 2006, Webb has focussed on foreign policy, visiting Myanmar to meet General Than Shwe, the junta’s leader, and the pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. A long-time critic of the American penal system, he sponsored a bill to compare it with those of other countries. Floated as a possible vice-presidential running mate for Obama, he ruled himself out early on and is always more at home plowing his own furrow. Distrusted by feminists for his previous tough stance against women serving in combat roles.

64. Steven Chu (-)

Nobel prize-winning physicist Chu is the first Nobel Laureate in history to be appointed to a Cabinet post. A former national laboratory director and a physics professor at Stanford University, Chu has focused on climate change warming and the need for carbon-neutral, renewable energy sources, which he says is "the greatest challenge facing science". A member of the Copenhagen Climate Council, he has called for urgent action on climate change, and for putting a price on carbon to send a signal to the markets.

His department has focused on energy efficiency, biofuels, artificial and solar energy research. "The path to finding solutions is to bring together the finest, most passionate minds to work on the problem in a coordinated effort, and to give these researchers the resources commensurate with the challenge.”

63. Mary Landrieu (-)

Senator for Louisiana

One of the Senate’s most conservative Democrats and a strong supporter of both the death penalty and the expansion of US off-shore oil drilling, Landrieu has voted with the GOP more than any other Democratic senator except Ben Nelson of Nebraska. From a long lineage of New Orleans politicians, 54-year-old Landrieu entered politics at the tender age of 23, moving from state representative to state treasurer to US Senator in 1996.

Last month, Landrieu caught flak for her hardball style in allegedly trading her vote for the health care bill in exchange for taking $100m in Medicare subsidies back home. The two-page section of the Reid bill increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster” seems to apply to only one state---Senator Landrieu’s Louisiana. Critics dubbed it the “Louisiana Purchase”. She won re-election in her anti-Obama state in 2008 and so will be a centrist power for some years to come.

62. James Clyburn (56)

The most senior black member of Congress and only the second black congressman to become House Majority Whip, Clyburn – who was in his 50s when he first arrived in Washington in 1992 – is a former civil rights activist who organised sit-ins in the segregated South and met his wife while in jail. Although he declined to back publicly a candidate in the 2008 Democratic primary contest, he was widely viewed as favouring Obama.

When Obama did prevail over Hillary Clinton, he said: “I thought this day would come, but I didn’t think I’d live to see it. I got home, and I was so emotional I couldn’t feel myself. I was numb.” A very effective whip, he has been praised for ensuring Democratic majorities for contentious votes on the financial bailout and healthcare legislation.

61. Pete Rouse (-)

Senior White House adviser

A long-time aide to Tom Daschle, including a decade when he was leader of Senate Democrats, Rouse was occasionally referred to as the “101st Senator” – a tribute to his encyclopedic knowledge of Congress and deal-making abilities. When Daschle lost his seat in 2004, Rouse switched to becoming chief of staff to the rookie Senator Barack Obama and played a key part in his Washington education.

Rouse spent a lot of time on the campaign trail in 2008. Drawing on his three years working for a Republican in Alaska and his links with Democrats in the state, he took on an important role in responding to the surprise announcement that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate. Deserves credit for helping steer Obama’s vision of healthcare reform through Congress. Holds a Master’s from the London School of Economics.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6967340/The-most-influential-US-liberals-80-61.html

41. HOWARD DEAN (84 on the 2007 list)

Former chairman, Democratic National Committee

The stand bearer of the the “netroots” online activists, who appeared set to propel Dean to the Democratic nomination in 2004. The former Vermont governor's hopes were dashed after a loss to John Kerry in Iowa and his famous “scream”. He was then a controversial choice to become the party’s cheerleader and chief fundraiser as chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

His hostile relationship with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel guarantees that he is going nowhere in the Obama administration. Their disagreement revolved around Dean's “50-state strategy” which channelled funds into Republican-dominated areas.

Dean incurred the wrath of Emanuel & co by daring to criticise the White House for diluting health care reform to the point where he said liberals should “kill the bill”. But many in the party Democrats regard him as a critical figure in the party’s revival in 2006 and 2008, and he is well placed to become the standard-bearer of the Left, should Obama disappoint.

42. DAVID PLOUFFE (46 on the 2007 list)

Obama 2008 campaign manager

As the architect of Obama’s election victory, the world is at the unassuming Plouffe’s feet. His gift to the campaign was limpet-like adherence to the message of change and geeky dissection of the caucus-primary apparatus that thoroughly outwitted the Hillary Clinton team.

A native of Delaware, the 42-year-old spent much of 2009 on a book chronicling the campaign but as the mid-terms approach he is expected to play a larger role advising frontline candidates, the Democratic National Committee - or both. He stays in regular contact with the president and is likely to run his re-election campaign. Also tipped as a possible White House chief of staff should Rahm Emanuel step down.

43. MAUREEN DOWD (36 on the 2007 list)

Columnist

The queen of the op-ed columnists, the mercurial Dowd of the New York Times has professed profound admiration for Obama – in April, she praised him for showing “a psychological finesse that has been missing from American leadership for a long time” – she is also ready and willing to take a two-by-four to his head. She wrote this week: “No Drama Obama is reticent about displays of emotion. The Spock in him needs to exert mental and emotional control. That is why he stubbornly insists on staying aloof...But it’s not O.K. to be cool about national security when Americans are scared."

But Obama seems to be under Dowd’s spell. On the campaign trail, when reporters would display insufficient reverence for The One they would be orstracised, even banished. Not Dowd – she would be invited for a private audience with the candidate, who would try to talk her round. Recently, Dowd – who combines shoe-leather reporting and interviewing with her sharp-edged observation and whimsy – scored an interview with Janet “the system worked” Napolitano.

44. DESIREE ROGERS (not on the 2007 list)

White House Social Secretary

The former utility executive, chairman of the Illinois Lottery and close friend of the first couple seemed to have won the jackpot when she was given the job of social secretary and a remit to open the doors of the White House to the people. The major lapse in security that allowed two Virginia socialites to breeze into a first state dinner showed that the door had been left rather too wide open.

Even before that (and the further revelations of a third gatecrasher), the 50-year-old divorcee had attracted far more publicity than is normal for social secretaries, who are supposed to be neither seen nor heard. Rogers’s glamorous demeanour made her an instant favourite for glossy magazines, but when Vanity Fair wanted to photograph her in Oscar de la Renta gear, press secretary Robert Gibbs had to put his foot down.

A wall of silence has gone up around her role in deciding that someone from her office would not be posted alongside the Secret Service for the dinner in honour of the Indian PM. It was a mistake that could have led to considerable harm being done to the president or another VIP, and proved an unwelcome distraction to an already overloaded White House. Her refusal to testify about the incident before Congress angered many, including Washington grande dame Sally Quinn, who called for her resignation. It will probably be the last mistake she is allowed to make.

45. TODD STERN (not on the 2007 list)

Special Envoy for Climate Change

Another recruit from the influential Center for American Progress, Todd Stern, the US Special Envoy for Climate Change, has hard work cut out for him in the dim light of a lackluster Copenhagen. An experienced White House hand from a former stint as a top aide to President Clinton, Stern worked on the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate pacts that would have limited carbon emissions. But a lack of US support from the Bush administration caused them to unravel. Apparently undaunted, the fifty-eight year old lawyer is back to wrestle with climate change for another Democratic president who has made the environment a top priority.

46. STEPHEN COLBERT (61 on the 2007 list)

Satirist

The former Daily Show reporter has become a cult figure since he shot to attention when he delivered a merciless parody of President George W. Bush and a subservient media in the presence of both at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He has described his eponymous character – a parody principally of Fox News host Bill O’Reilly – as “self-important, poorly informed, well-intentioned, but an idiot”. The Buffalo Daily News described Colbert and Jon Stewart as “the Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley of the Nintendo generation”, crediting them with being a primary source of news for American youth.

He mercilessly lampoons Right-wingers - "There's nothing wrong with being gay. I have plenty of friends that are going to hell,” he says, and: “I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq.” In 2006, Miriam-Webster awarded him the “word of the year” accolade for “truthiness” – “truth comes from the gut, not books". He ruthlessly mocked Orly Taitz, proponent of the “Birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in Hawaii but Kenya. "If you were one of the sperm watching at home, call my studio," he told viewers. "What do you remember hearing at the time, ukulele music or tribal drums?"

47. LARRY SUMMERS (not on the 2007 list)

Head of the National Economic Council

Larry Summers – whose brains are only overshadowed by his own opinion of his brilliance - has proven that academic achievements do not guarantee political common sense. Summers showed little finesse as Clinton’s Treasury Secretary and his remarks about the academic proclivities of women while Harvard president -which he still maintains were taken out of context - ultimately brought about his resignation from the post. But Obama lost no time in bringing this often abrasive and non-PC policy maker into his inner circle of advisors. In a less public role than at Treasury and without the necessity of Congressional confirmation, Summers heads the National Economic Council (NEC), giving him a chance to shape economic policy during the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Although widely regarded as an economics genius, Summers, 55, is not known as a team player. Whether he can work harmoniously with Tim Geithner - who landed the Treasury Secretary job that Summers viewed as his right - remains to be seen. Summers saw early on the risk the economy faced from popping housing and credit bubbles and backed aggressive government intervention, including a bailout package and an economic stimulus measure to help banks and fight off home foreclosures. His own ties to Wall Street came under close scrutiny after his Presidential appointment when it was revealed he had collected about $5.2 million in compensation from hedge fund D.E. Shaw in 2008 and was paid more than $2.7 million in speaking fees by several troubled Wall Street firms and other organisations.

48. MARKOS MOULITSAS (12 on the 2007 list)

Founder of Daily Kos website

The founder of the biggest Left-wing community blog in the US, Moulitsas has been described by the New York Times as “the single most successful entrepreneur of the progressive movement". Moulitsas, 38, also co-authored with Jerome Armstrong the book Crashing the Gates: Netroots, Grasroots and the Rise of People-Powered Politics, an in-your-face manifesto for a takeover of the Democratic party by young, internet-savvy activists storming the barricades of the Establishment.

The son of a Salvadoran mother and Greek father, he grew up amid the civil war of El Salvador before his family fled to Chicago. He served for three years in the US Army as a fire direction specialist. A Republican when he joined the military, he abandoned the GOP and then studied Philosophy, Journalism, and Political Science before going to law school. A Silicon Valley dropout, in 2002 he started Daily Kos (“Kos” was his Army nickname), a free-wheeling “collaborative” blog site focussed on bolstering the progressive credentials of the Democratic party.

49. WES BOYD AND JOAN BLADES (20 on the 2007 list)

Founders of MoveOn.org

Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who had no experience of politics and were best known for creating the “flying toaster” screensaver, the husband and wife team began with an online petition against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. They then saw MoveOn’s influence grow so rapidly that by 2006 it had played a significant part in propelling the Democratic Party to power with its progressive, anti-war message. Constantly seeking to push Democrats to the Left, MoveOn has been described by writer Ron Brownstein as “the first true 21st-century political organisation” and “the point of the spear for the Democratic Left through eight years of combat with President Bush”.

Its innovative internet laid the foundations for the kind of online grassroots organising effort that enabled Obama to win the White House in 2008. The group has become a lightning rod for conservative anger, especially since it branded General David Petraeus “General Betray US” in 2007. In a recent special election in New York state, the endorsing by MoveOn of the Democratic candidate was used by the conservative candidate to raise money. “Now far left MOVE-ON is joining the fray,” said an email appeal. “This is David vs. Goliath.” Having moved from being outsiders to political giants within a decade, it remains to be seen whether the influence of Boyd, Blades and their partner Eli Pariser will remain now that a liberal is in the White House and their techniques have gone mainstream.

50. WARREN BUFFETT (21 on the 2007 list)

Businessman and philanthropist

Both Obama and John McCain said during a presidential debate that Buffett would make a good Treasury Secretary. He advised Arnold Schwarzenegger during his 2003 gubernatorial campaign and John Kerry in 2004. He also contributed to both the Obama and Hillary Clinton campaigns in 2008, stating McCain would need to have a “lobotomy” for him to get the Buffett nod.

Buffet's father was a Republican congressman who voted against President Franklin Roosevelt’s “big government" plans and opposed membership of the United Nations but Buffett is a pronounced liberal, denouncing tax cuts as favouring the wealthy and argued that the free market “creates some lopsided payoffs to participants”.

He has called the current economic downturn as “poetic justice”. He donates much of his own wealth and has said he will pass on little of it to his children, arguing that offspring of the rich should not be rewarded for being part of the “lucky sperm club”.

51. ARTUR DAVIS (89 on the 2007 list)

Alabama congressman

Often described as “the second black President” in waiting. Educated at Harvard Law School, just as Obama was, he portrays himself as a post-racial candidate, and was a tireless campaigner for his old friend. Having unseated an incumbent Democrat from the civil rights era in 2002, in a district that was a fulcrum of the anti-segregation struggle, Davis soon secured a seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.Moderate and pro-Israel, he is part of a new breed of black politician who grew up the struggles of the 1960s but does not primarily focus on racial issues.

In 2007, he became the first congressman outside Illinois to endorse Obama for president and his name was floated as a possible Attorney General. Still only 42, the ambitious Davis is running for Governor of Alabama in November. A conservative Democrat, he was one of the few to vote against healthcare reform. Whether his centrism and undoubted charm will be enough to enable him to navigate the racial politics of the South in an anti-Obama state remains an open question.

52. ARLEN SPECTER (not on the 2007 list)

Senator for Pennsylvania

The four-term Senator cast his decision to switch from the Republican party to the Democrats last April as a move based on principle, but even his supporters chuckled. Facing a tough primary challenge from former congressman Pat Toomey, backed by the Club for Growth, Specter was looking like a political dead man walking. That may still turn out to be the case if, as seems likely, the grudge match eventually happens in this year’s Senate mid-term general election contest.

Renowned as one of the most difficult Senators to work for (a hotly-contested accolade), Specter was long derided by conservative Republicans as a RINO – Republican In Name Only. In hindsight, that seems a very fair moniker. In favour of abortion rights, against warrantless wire-tapping and a supporter of drastic action on climate change, Specter had long been a thorn in the GOP side. Facing a serious primary challenge from the Left in the person of Representative Joe Sestak and then the prospect of facing off against Toomey it would be easy to write Specter off. But he has shown a talent for self-preservation throughout his career.

53. JOE SOLMONESE (not on the 2007 list)

President, the Human Rights Campaign

The HRC is America’s leading gay rights group and Solmonese probably the best known spokesman for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) community – a key Democratic constituency. As CEO of Emily’s List, he oversaw the effort to elect women in favour of abortion rights. He has worked to counter the perception that lesbians and gays are anti-religion.

An effective speaker and good media performer, he seems an ideal front man for a pressure group impatient on issues that candidate Obama promised to deal with quickly. The HRC leadership has faced strong criticism for giving the administration a pass for putting the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” in the military and other reforms firmly on the back burner. The conservative-turned-liberal blogger and crusader for gay rights Andrew Sullivan slammed the HRC leadership for “betraying the rest of us for their own access and black tie dinners and White House coffee catches”.

54. KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (not on the 2007 list)

Health and Human Services Secretary

Her pragmatism and ability to capture the allegiance of moderate Republicans landed this former democratic Governor of Kansas on Time magazine’s top governors list in 2005. She became Health and Human Services Secretary after Tom Daschle withdrew his name over a tax scandal. Obama strongly considered her as a vice-presidential running mate. After his strained relationship with the comical Joe Biden, Obama may wish he could go back and change his mind.

The 61-year-old’s proven ability to work across party lines may be just what Obama needs for the implementation of some of the most sweeping changes to the American healthcare system in history. In Kansas, Sebelius persuaded former Republican Governor Mike Hayden to join her cabinet and convinced Lieutenant Governor Mark Parkinson, a former Republican, to switch parties and join her as running mate.

55. BEN RHODES (not on the 2007 list)

White House foreign policy aide

In the marbled corridors of power in Washington, 31- year-old Ben Rhodes might be judged a kid. But Obama’s foreign policy speechwriter since 2007 has already had his mettle tested. A contributor to the Iraq Study Group and the 9/11 Commission reports, Rhodes helped shape the Obama campaign’s Middle East policy. He also co-authored Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission with co-chair and gray eminence former Representative Lee Hamilton. Another former wunderkind, Rhodes’s former boss Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, described the youthful policy maker as “one of the real rising talents on the policy message side”. He was recently promoted from speechwriter to Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, a wider -ranging role. Rhodes once worked on a novel called The Oasis of Love, said to be about a megachurch in Houston, a dog track and a failed romance.

56. KEITH ELLISON (54 on the 2007 list)

Minnesota congressman

In 2006 became the first elected to Congress and the first black congressman from Minnesota. Solidly on the Left of his party and a strong supporter of the public option in health care, he fiercely opposed the Iraq war and moved to impeach Dick Cheney.

Ellison caused a stir when he chose to hold a Koran rather than a Bible at his swearing in. Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode warned that this threatened “the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America”. In a successful compromise Ellison borrowed a Koran from the Library of Congress once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Obama mentioned the event in his June 2009 Cairo speech to Muslims as an example of the historic friendship between the US and Islam.

Raised a Catholic, he converted to Islam at university, where he wrote papers supporting Louis Farrakhan. His connections to the Nation of Islam dogged his first congressional bid. Before entering politics full time, he worked as a lawyer for the homeless and other disadvantaged groups. Personable and not quite the congressional firebrand some had expected, Ellison is thought to have ambitions to run for the Senate.

57. ALAN GRAYSON (not on the 2007 list)

Florida congressman

A lawyer and liberal Democrat who waged a private one-man war exposing contractors profiteering from the Iraq War, freshman -term congressman Alan Grayson has been no less aggressive in the House of Representatives. Perhaps taking a tip from Obama, Grayson has focused his message on the Internet generation and YouTube culture feeding off blogs, sound-bites and online videos.

And he already has one viral YouTube hit to his name. Grayson asked Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Chairman, during Congressional testimony the specific destination of half-a-billion dollars the Reserve was empowered to loan foreign bankers. When Bernanke answered "I don't know" Grayson replied "I find it hard to believe that the power to hand over the half-a-trillion dollars to foreigners was part of Congressional intent in 1913 when the Federal Reserve Act was written." It was a reprimand heard around the virtual world. He attracted even more notoriety when he described the Republican health care plan as: “Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly.” He refused to apologise, saying: “I apologise to the dead and their families that we haven't voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.”

58. MELODY BARNES (not on the 2007 list)

White House adviser

She used to set the domestic policy agenda for the Center for American Progress and now she’s doing it for the White House. Melody Barnes, 45-year-old Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is the liberals’ dream appointment to prioritise the Obama Administration’s roster of domestic issues for Congressional action. A former Chief Counsel to late Senator Ted Kennedy on civil rights and women’s issues, the selection of Barnes, according to The National Journal’s “The Hotline” “was a sign that Obama hadn’t forgotten his progressive base”. But some Republicans worry that Barnes, who crashed a perceived White House boys’ club by becoming the first woman to golf with the President, might have influence that’s too progressive. Barnes dates her participation in politics to 1972, when she helped a liberal icon who crashed to defeat. “I sold cupcakes for McGovern when I was 8. That’s kind of my earliest memory of being politically active in some way, but I think my interest in politics really comes out of my love for history.”

59. AL FRANKEN (49 on the 2007 list)

Senator for Minnesota

The former Saturday Night Live comedian gave the Democrats their 60 to 40 seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate when he just prevailed over Senator Norm Coleman after an extensive legal and recount process. A big-mouthed, Harvard-educated liberal, his excoriating humour – always aimed at the Right – gained him a cult following.

When his The Al Franken Show on Air America failed to achieve the kind of listenership that conservative hosts like Rush Limbaugh enjoy – he once titled a book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" – he decided to run for the Senate. With Hollywood cash behind him and a backlash against the Bush administration, he squeaked in. He has been low-profile in the Senate but delighted liberals when he abandoned Senate protocol and refused to allow wavering Democratic turncoat Joe Lieberman a few extra seconds to finish a speech.

60. PETER ORSZAG (not on the 2007 list)

White House budget director

A whizz-kid economist, the former Congressional Budget Office director and Clinton staffer was not a surprise choice for the key role of setting the president’s budgets. What did surprise was his private life. Orszag, 42, soon gained a reputation as one of the capital’s most eligible bachelors, despite his geeky looks and squeaky, effeminate voice. Rahm Emanuel and the president himself joked about his nerdy-but-sexy pulling power. Orszag lapped up all the media attention, delighting in the creation of a website called Orszagasm.com – and, apparently, eagerly capitalising on it amid Washington’s busy dating scene.

The jokes fell flat when it emerged that Orszag, already divorced with two young children, had separated from a pregnant girlfriend before meeting a glamourous ABC News correspondent and getting engaged amid a blaze of publicity. Given the US media’s lack of appetite for private lives, the mini-scandal will blow over, but questions may remain about his ability to manage three families and the national budget – not to mention the jarring note his behaviour sounds juxtaposed with Obama’s calls for paternal responsibility. Already, there are dark voices in the White House muttering about whether he is “too big for his Blackberry holsters”.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6973159/The-most-influential-US-liberals-60-41.html

Posted the topic wrong it will be a full list not 100-81.

When its done we should count the jews.

21. Joe Biden (30 on the 2007 list)

Vice-President

Oh dear. The garrulous former Senator who spent 36 years on Capitol Hill is in serious danger of becoming another Dan Quayle. The man who pulled out of the 1988 presidential race after he admitted plagiarising Neil Kinnock has long had a problem with his mouth. His 2008 presidential bid – always an improbable proposition – nearly ended right at the start when he described his future boss as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy”. Which was simply not the way to talk about a black politician in America. But Obama forgave him and, at a point in the campaign when he needed an older white male with foreign policy expertise to “balance” the Democratic ticket, eager Joe was waiting in the wings.

Their relationship on the campaign trail, however, was a difficult one as the cerebral, disciplined Obama became incensed by the garrulous Biden’s gaffes. This has continued in the White House with Obama responding to a question about yet another bewildering Biden statement by saying: “I don't know what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly". That prompted stifled sniggers from White House staffers at the back of the room and a miffed Biden then used his weekly lunch with the President to ask him not to "diss" him in public. On Afghanistan, Biden’s preferred option of "counter-terrorism plus" – targeting al-Qaeda elements at long range with military drones and smart missiles instead of increasing troop levels – was ignored. Obama judged that Biden, who opposed the Gulf war, backed the Iraq war and opposed the Iraq surge, had got it wrong again.

22. John Brennan (did not appear on the 2007 list)

Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

Spent 25 years as a CIA officer, delivering the daily intelligence brief to Bill Clinton in 1994 and 1995 and later becoming station chief in Saudi Arabia and chief of staff to George Tenet, then CIA director. Was appointed the first head of the National Counterterrorism Centre – the new body at the centre of the controversy over missed intelligence about the Detroit bomber – but fell out with the Bush administration over his criticism of the Iraq war. Widely tipped to become Obama’s CIA director, he was blocked by the Left, which was suspicion of his connections to Bush-era policies regarding interrogation and rendition. Brennan withdrew himself from consideration, noting bitterly that he been “a strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration, such as the pre-emptive war in Iraq and coercive intelligence tactics, to include waterboarding”.

If anything, however, his role is more important than that of CIA director. He was front and centre after the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack, being sent out to argue the Obama administration’s case on all the Sunday talk shows a week after disastrous performances by Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security chief. Dour, unflappable and steeped in a world that Obama has had little exposure to, he is likely to rise higher. Would be a natural successor to Napolitano or could become National Security Adviser or CIA chief.

23. Ben Bernanke (-)

Chairman of the US Federal Reserve

In a year or so, if the economy is giving the electorate cause for optimism, Bernanke could be even higher up this list. Already he is one of the most influential Fed chairmen in American history, having used every weapon in his armoury to stave off a collapse of the financial system in late 2008 and early 2009.

He is not short of critics. Some have argued he didn’t see the warning signs of the crisis, while he has been lambasted for allowing Lehmann Brothers to fail and for an excessive Wall Street bailout. Others complain about the Fed’s expanded power, which he has argued was unavoidable. His re-confirmation hearing had its uncomfortable moments, but his razor-sharp mind and calm, soft-spoken style saw him through. It was really a foregone conclusion. He had, after all, helped the economy through its worst experiences since the Great Depression, which he had spent most of his academic career studying.

24. Thomas Donilon (-)

Deputy National Security Adviser

Donilon is one of the most powerful people you have never heard of. A campaign veteran, he has worked for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden but also held policy posts in the Clinton administration, when he helped negotiate the Bosnian peace agreement and visited more than 50 countries on official business. He was a lobbyist from 1999 through 2005 but that vilified occupation did not prevent him from becoming a key member of Obama’s transition team, when he vetted potential State Department officials.

Since then he has become one of the pivotal figures on the National Security Council, helping to formulate Obama's temporary surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. His brother Michael is a counselor to Vice President Biden, having worked for him since 1981. His wife is chief of staff to Jill Biden, the Second Lady. Donilon is especially important because of the softly-softly approach of his boss General Jim Jones. He plays a prominent role in presidential briefings as well as orchestrating the foreign policy machinery – which is unusually centred in the White House under Obama. Close to Rahm Emanuel, he is tipped to take over when Jones retires.

25. Michael Bloomberg (25)

Mayor of New York

Bloomberg had to have the law changed to enable him to challenge for – and win – a third term, but when you’re worth $16 billion anything seems possible. He decided to stick with the job he had after flirting heavily with entering the 2008 presidential race and then the battle for governor of New York.

The eighth-richest American, he had to spend $90 million to win by a reduced margin of four points in November, as voters were turned off by the rule change allowing him another term and the amount of money he was spending in a recession. Still, he remains popular. A lifelong Democrat he is the arch pragmatist, registering as Republican for his first two terms and Independent for his current one. Crime has continued to decline, the city is in surplus and he has worked hard on health and education. Never afraid to legislate on personal behaviour, he has banned smoking, trans fats and now salt content is in his sights.

Socially liberal but economically conservative, he is an easy fit for New York, and is likely remain a player on the national stage. Obama rates him.

26. Susan Rice (-)

US ambassador to the United Nations

One of Obama’s first appointments, she is part of the president’s foreign policy inner circle and, if there is a second term, is likely to go on to greater things. A native Washingtonian, her life and career have been marked by privilege and high achievement. Madeleine Albright is a family friend and she is married to a senior ABC journalist.

Attended Washington’s National Cathedral School, then Stanford and Oxford, before taking a job in Bill Clinton’s National Security Council and becoming assistant secretary of state for Africa at the tender age of 33. Served as an adviser to Democratic presidential candidates Michael Dukakis and John Kerry. Has strained relations with Hillary Clinton after the bruising 2008 presidential campaign.

The former wunderkind is now in her mid-40s and has fully justified the faith shown in her by two presidents. During Obama’s campaign she was an able foreign policy adviser and in office she has been typically forthright and clear spoken. With so much focus on Afghanistan, she has had little time in the limelight. But when Iran and sanctions move higher up the agenda, expect to see more of her. A potential future Secretary of State.

27. James Jones (-)

National Security Advisor

The vastly experienced and tactful Jones seemed the ideal candidate to lead the National Security Council. Indeed, Obama’s opponent John McCain might well have given Jones the same job. But Obama’s trendy young West Wingers quickly questioned his old-fashioned style and supposed reluctance to mix with the rest of the team. Beyond the White House confines, questions began to be asked if he was too calm a presence to maintain the proper focus among the array of heavy-hitters on the president’s foreign policy team.

Making sure that everyone does their job in implementing Obama’s Afghan policy will be the 64-year-old former Nato supreme commander’s number one priority. His understated nature makes him hard to judge, but he doesn’t seem to be in the same league as a Kissinger, Brzezinski or Scowcroft. This year will prove crucial in assessing his real worth to the President and critics suggest he may be an early departure.

28. Dick Durbin (92)

Senator for Illinois

Holds the second highest position in the Democratic Party’s senate leadership as well as arguably being Obama’s closest ally in Congress. The Illinois senator was the first to champion his young Senate colleague’s bid for the White House and helped win over super-delegates at a crucial stage of the primary when the Clintons were threatening to use their clout in Congress to subvert the wishes of elected delegates.

Courted controversy in 2004 when he compared interrogations at Guantanamo Bay to atrocities under the Nazis, Soviets and Pol Pot, leading to a tearful apology on the Senate floor. The row didn’t stop him from cruising to victory in 2008. A likely future Senate Majority Leader, he cannot be ruled out as a future vice-presidential candidate.

29. George Clooney (82)

Actor

A campaigning, bleeding heart Liberal in traditional Hollywood style, Clooney was among the first celebrity visitors to the White House, and went on serious business: Darfur. The United Nations Messenger of Peace has made the conflict in western Sudan his cause, and told the president of his visit to miserable refugee camps in Chad. He also asked the president for a special envoy to Sudan and soon enough General Scott Gration was appointed. Any connection is not clear.

An opponent of the Iraq war, which he said shows that “you can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people seeking revenge”. Clooney has been encouraged to run for a Senate seat in his native Kentucky but responded: "No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties." Could well run for office one day

30. Jon Stewart (81)

Presenter, The Daily Show

A former stand-up comedian, Stewart blends his wry humour with the day's top news stories, often lampooning the hypocrisy and shallowness of politicians and mainstream journalists. The antithesis of the sombre and ponderous network anchors, many under 40s treat him as a primary news source and the Daily Show is a must-do for any politician or author. Stewart's programme attracts 1.8 million viewers a night compared to 1.2 million for CNN's highest-rated politics show. Unlike his acolyte Stephen Colbert, a former Daily Show reporter whose Colbert Report lampoons Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, Stewart's persona is pretty much his own. Sarcastic, caustic, intensely distrustful of politicians and the self-important mainstream media, viewers see him as a reality check on what's happened during the day.

Though unabashedly liberal, he is not afraid to give the Left a hard time. He has stopped short of mocking Barack Obama, but has lampooned adulation of the president as demonstrated in NBC’s gushing behind-the-White House-doors documentary. Brian Williams, he said, “clearly has the hots for the president”. Has turned turns his fire on Democrats, highlighting Hillary Clinton's "cackle" in a video montage and saying with mock seriousness when she dropped out of the White House race: "We've often heard the phrase 'all good things must come to an end.'"

31. Steny Hoyer

Congressman for Maryland and House Majority Leader

Hoyer has represented Maryland’s 5th Congressional district since 1981 making him the longest-serving Maryland representative in history. A moderate Democrat with fiscally conservative views, he has had testy relations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was only elected House Majority Leader in 2007 after an openly hostile competition with the ethically-challenged John Murtha, who was Pelosi’s pick

Criticised by liberal Democrats for his support of the Iraq War, Hoyer nonetheless has a long track record of leadership for the Democratic agenda that includes the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of disability. He was also a strict and demanding Minority Whip, taking Democrats to task when they voted against the party even on procedural matters. Played an important role in marshalling Democrats to back the House healthcare bill. An outside bet to succeed Pelosi, who shows no signs of wanting to move.

32. Paul Krugman

Nobel Laureate, Economics professorand columnist

Hailed as Obama’s toughest liberal critic, Nobel Laureate and Princeton professor Paul Krugman through his New York Times column and blog, Conscience of a Liberal, has consistently conveyed deep scepticism and pessimism about the government bailout efforts and the economy. He also has shown no qualms about essentially labeling Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and other Obama officials as innocent pawns who are suffering from overexposure to Wall Street types which has consequently affected their decision-making.

The son of Russian Jewish immigrants to the U.S., Krugman, 56, was recruited to Princeton by now Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. He had already taught at Yale, MIT, UC- Berkeley, the London School of Economics, and Stanford. About Obama he has said, “It's as if the president were determined to confirm the growing perception that he and his economic team are out of touch, that their economic vision is clouded by excessively close ties to Wall Street."

33. Chuck Shumer (28)

Senator

The Senior US Senator for New York was on the surface a loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic primary contest. It emerged last week, however, that he had privately urged Obama to run, believing his New York colleague was too polarising a figure to win a general election. While this Machiavellian manoeuvre may have shown impeccable political judgement, it showed a ruthless and untrustworthy streak that many Democrats find unbecoming.

But as the number three Democrat in the Senate he is a powerful figure. He masterminded the unlikely Democratic takeover of the Senate in 2006 by choosing candidates who could win in their states even if they bucked the party orthodoxy. His love of the limelight once prompted Senator Bob Dole to quip that "the most dangerous place in Washington is between Charles Schumer and a television camera". There’s no doubt that he views himself as the first Jewish US president but New York governor is a more likely outcome.

34. Henry Waxman

California congressman

One of the House’s most influential members, he grew up in the down-and-out Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles and has represented his hometown in the U.S. Congress for 34 years. California’s 30th district, which includes Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Malibu, is more affluent than average and Waxman remains known for his Left-leaning stances, particularly on the environment and universal health care.

Long a force to be reckoned with - especially by the Bush White House - as ranking minority member and then chairman of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Waxman toppled Congressman John Dingell last year to take over the top spot at the Energy and Commerce Committee, whose territory covers climate change, oversight of energy, trade, telecommunications, Medicare and Medicaid and consumer protections. The 70-year-old chairman has strongly allied himself with the Obama agenda, noting “I think we need new leadership in the committee in order to move a very active agenda being proposed by the Obama administration.”

35. Michele Flournoy

Tipped by some insiders as a possible successor to Bob Gates, the Pentagon chief. She may have supported Hillary Clinton in the Presidential primary, but this 48- year-old research professor became a trusted Obama transition advisor before being appointed Under-secretary of Defence for Policy. Helped found the Center for a New American Security with Kurt Campbell, a fellow Pentagon aid during the Clinton years. Was an early voice arguing last year that some Guantanamo inmates would have to be moved to the United States for there to be any chance that European allies would accept some of the detainees.

She first made her mark at the Pentagon as President Clinton’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and threat reduction. A strong advocate of overhauling the federal government’s handling of security, she lectured Congress in 2005 that the United States still does not have an effective inter-agency work system. That lesson was brought home on Christmas Day 2009 when it was revealed that multiple security agencies weren’t able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to keep 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab off a potentially deadly flight to Detroit.

36. John Podesta (11)

President, Center for American Progress

Thirty years of political work in Washington have brought 60-year-old John Podesta to what might be his crowning achievement. As President of the Center for American Progress, the city’s go-to liberal think tank which he founded, Podesta has brought the progressive movement back to life. And Obama has relied heavily on Podesta’s know-how in the liberal arena, appointing him co-chair of his transition team and turning to him for many of his key personnel.

Podesta has long played in the Capital City’s big leagues, acting as Clinton White House chief of staff and working closely with the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Patrick Leahy and former Senator Tom Daschle. Such is Podesta’s network and influence that he was able to form a Democratic shadow government during the Bush years and lure Obama influencers to his think tank.

37. Richard Holbrooke (-)

Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan

Even in a city of towering egos, Richard Holbrooke is one of the few politicians who employ a personal archivist. His boss Hillary Clinton once joked that Holbrooke was the only person she knew who would look over her husband’s shoulder as he was talking to him to see if there was anyone more important he could meet. The former Clinton-era ambassador to Germany and then the United Nations and the man who probably would have been Secretary of State in a Gore administration in 2001 is not known for shyness or self-deprecation. But a lesser man would have found his first year in the Obama administration somewhat chastening as he became a marginal figure as the President’s Afghanistan policy was decided.

He has served every Democratic president since John F. Kennedy and is best known for brokering a peace agreement among the warring factions in Bosnia that led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. But his hard-charging style has not brought people together in Afghanistan. His relations with Hamid Karzai are said to be so poisonous that the Afghan president tried to bar him from the country. Things started to go wrong for Holbrooke when New Delhi blocked him from being responsible for India and the White House blocked him from being responsible for Iran. He is not close to Obama and, at 68, is now unlikely to be Secretary of State, the job he is said to have believed to be his right since he entered the Foreign Service in 1962. But some believe the veteran diplomat’s finest hour could be yet to come as the Obama administration wrestles to prevent Afghanistan becoming another Vietnam.

38. Andy Stern

Union leader

As the president of the Service Employees International Union, Stern leads more than two million workers including bus drivers, janitors and nurses. The largest and fastest-growing union in North America, it has more than doubled in size during his 14-year presidency. It was a surprise to some that he was the White House’s most frequent visitor during the initial months, visiting 22 times between Inauguration Day and the end of July, seeing Obama himself on seven occasions.

Stern has already led his union out of an alliance with the AFL-CIO, based on his belief that the labor movement must take a completely different tack for a 21st Century economy and a globalising world. Opinion is divided about whether he did the right thing. In 2006, the Washington Post wrote: “History one day will record Stern as the impetuous, power-hungry man who accelerated the decline of the American union movement...Or, his supporters say, Stern will go down in history as the courageous, visionary leader who charted a bold new course for American unionism just in time and helped spark a labor movement to fight for workers in the world economy."

Healthcare reform is currently at the top of his agenda. Both the SEIU and the AFL-CIO refused to endorse the Senate health care bill when the “public option” of government insurance was dropped. Expressing dismay with the Senate, Stern said, “It is time for the Senate to send this bill on to conference where the real work needs to be done.” And for Stern, that “real work” is getting the public option back in the bill.

39. Leon Panetta (73)

CIA director

Although he had no direct experience of the intelligence world, Panetta is an accomplished manager who has proved to be a safe pair of hands at the CIA during a difficult time. The consummate Washington insider and a former Republican, Panetta was a California congressman before winning plaudits as the chief of staff who imposed a degree of organisation on the chaotic Clinton White House when Bill Clinton brought him in as chief of staff. Michael Hayden, Bush’s third CIA director, had lobbied hard to be kept on and John Brennan was Obama’s first choice for CIA but even Panetta’s critics have praised the job he has done. Leaves many of the tough intelligence calls to his deputy Steven Kappes, who has had an illustrious career in clandestine operations.

Panetta won a bureaucratic turf battle with his boss Admiral Dennis Blair, Director of National Security, over whether non-CIA officers could be intelligence station chiefs. He opposed Obama’s decision to release declassified Bush era memos about enhanced interrogation and has worked hard to bolster flagging morale at the Agency. His toughest moment was when he travelled to Dover Air Force base recently as seven CIA personnel killed in Afghanistan were flown home. Close to John Podesta and Senator Chuck Schumer, he has many friends across government.

40. Valerie Jarrett (-)

Jarrett is so close to Obama that he refers to her as a “like a sibling to me”. Has known the Obama since 1991 when a young lawyer called Michelle Robinson walked into the then Chicago mayor’s aide’s office to ask for a job. Since then, Jarrett has been in on every major decision the Obamas have made. He has described her as the ultimate “utility player” and said: “I trust her completely.” A lawyer and real estate practitioner, the cynics say that Jarrett is the “First Friend” only through happenstance and has limited ability. There were cries of cronyism when Team Obama tried to slide her into his old Senate seat.

An uncertain television performer, Jarrett was much ridiculed for stating when confronted about the Obama administration’s campaign against Fox News that “what the administration has said very clearly is that we’re going to speak truth to power”. A divorcee who spent part of her childhood in Iran, she lives in the same Georgetown apartment complex as her close Chicago friends Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary, and Susan Sher, the First Lady’s chief of staff. Aides describe the softly spoken Jarrett as the glue that holds the First Couple together amid their busy schedules. If an adviser wonders how Mrs Obama will take a change of plan, they ask Jarrett. If Mrs Obama thinks Barack is working too hard, a word in Jarrett’s ear is all that’s needed for his schedule to be cleared.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6981433/The-most-influential-US-liberals-40-21.html

1. Barack Obama (6 on the 2007 list)

President

The Harvard graduate who grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia the son of a black father who deserted the family and a white mother who moved to Indonesia and left him in the care of his grandparents ran a masterful and truly historic presidential campaign. Going from state senator to President in four years was a remarkable achievement. His magnificent speeches captured the imagination of his nation and – perhaps even more so – the world. Last January, the words ‘hope” and “change” were on everyone’s lips as he stood on the steps of the Capitol and was sworn in on a frigid morning when it seemed anything was possible.

In the past year, however, Obama’s brand has been tarnished, perhaps irrevocably. His promises of bipartisanship have come to naught as the Democrats rammed through a party-line vote on healthcare. Never has such fundamental legislation been passed on the say so of one party when the country so clearly opposes it. The strategy is a dangerous gamble and it remains to be seen whether Obama can pull it off. Having ridiculed Bush for pursuing the “politics of fear”, Obama has had a rude awakening as he has listened to the daily intelligence reports and – on Christmas Day – was at the top of a national security apparatus that left America open to an al-Qaeda attack. Obama’s poll ratings now hover around 50 per cent – a remarkable slump. Even his famous ability to craft memorable phrases and formulate almost lyrical rhetoric now seems to be deserting him as inspiration gives way to perspiration. It is far, far too early to write Obama off. He could yet prove all his detractors wrong. But 2010 will bring the moment of truth for him.

2. Hillary Clinton (4)

Secretary of State

The supposedly “inevitable” Democratic nominee in 2008, the former First Lady blew it spectacularly. Her chief strategist Mark Penn – so seemingly omniscient in 2007 that he made number two on our list – made the disastrous decision to advise her to run on her experience in what in hindsight was obviously going to be a “change” election race. If she had run at least partly on the notion of making history as the first woman president, she would have dampened down the sense of entitlement and riding on the coattails of her husband that eventually doomed her bid. This year, Penn does not even make our list – Clinton fired him and it emerged he was unfamiliar even with the basic arithmetic of how delegate counts worked.

By the time the Clinton campaign woke up, the nomination was already lost to Obama. But Clinton fought like a tigress and embarrassed Obama, who limped over the finishing line. And Clinton’s critique of Obama is increasingly resonant. In February 2008, she said: “Now, I could stand up here and say let’s just get everybody together, lets get unified...the sky will open, the light will come down celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know that we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect. Maybe I'm just lived a little long but I have no illusions about how hard this will be." Clinton debated long and hard whether to leave the Senate to become Obama’s Secretary of State. Accepting was a masterstroke. She has removed herself from the contentious domestic arena and has bolstered her foreign policy credentials immeasurably. In loyally backing Obama, she has begun to outshine him and her popularity ratings have soared. She has said she will never run for the White House again but it is our judgement that she will be a powerful presidential candidate in 2012 – and could well become the first female president.

3. Nancy Pelosi (5)

Speaker of the House

The third most powerful politician in the United States – she would ascend to the presidency if Obama and Joe Biden died together in office - and the highest-ranking female politician in American history, Pelosi is the go-to Democrat in Congress. So far, Obama has had plenty to thank her for - getting healthcare through the House of Representatives with a “public option” of government insurance intact and passing the stimulus and cap-and-trade legislation, albeit by just five votes. It sometimes appears she views Obama as something of an ingénue.

Her “Hundred Days” initiative at the beginning of the current Congress saw Democrats use their large majority to approve a raise in minimum wage, the remaining 9/11 commission recommendations, public disclosure of representatives’ pet projects and major ethics legislation that outright banned gifts and meals from lobbyists and restricted travel from outside groups.

Often denigrated as a San Francisco liberal by the Right, she has shown she can put her convictions to one side as Speaker and followed a pragmatic course when necessary. Not afraid to bring the Left-wing to heel, she persuaded liberals to vote for the healthcare bill despite Bart Stupak’s amendment restricting access to abortions, arguing that an imperfect bill was better than none. A mother of five, she was raised in Baltimore’s Little Italy. Her family was steeped in local Democratic Party politics and it rubbed off. Pelosi is a tireless fundraiser and forceful campaigner. She forged a strong anti-Bush message in 2006 that contributed to the Democrats’ emphatic victory. Finding a message for the 2010 mid-terms will be more of challenge, but her many detractors underestimate her at their peril.

4. Bill Clinton (1)

Former President

He battled tirelessly for his wife, holding sometimes six or seven rallies a day in small towns across South Carolina and North Carolina. But Bill Clinton’s fabled political instincts deserted him at times as he allowed the Obama campaign to be able to seize on his language and suggest he was playing the “race card” – without ever getting the Obama campaign’s fingerprints on the accusation. The red-faced, angry Bill Clinton ultimately did not serve his wife’s campaign well. But when she was offered the Secretary of State’s job, he agreed to moderate his activities around the world and disclose the sources of his foundation’s funds and he has been true to his word. As Obama’s presidency has faltered, Democrats have begun to look back to the Clinton years with increasing fondness. Though Clinton has been uncharacteristically silent, one suspects that he is saying to himself: “I told you so.”

Allegations in a recent book last week that he had conducted a romantic affair during the 2008 campaign caused little stir – an indication that Americans have moved beyond obsessing over Bill Clinton’s private life. As a pragmatic, centrist Democrat who understood politics from his gut as well as his brain, Clinton could yet provide the template for the next generation of Democratic leaders in the post-Obama era. Alternatively, he could help elect his wife in 2012. In many respects, it is far too early to speculate about such things. One thing, however, is certain – Bill Clinton is not going away.

5. Rahm Emanuel (13)

Intense, obsessive, profane, mercurial and driven, Rahm Emanuel is the cauldron to Obama’s cool. The former Democratic operative, Clinton staffer, House leader and millionaire investment banker has brought executive experience and a brash Chicago toughness to the White House as Obama’s chief of staff. Stories about “Rahmbo” are everywhere, from the time he sent a dead fish to a pollster who had crossed him to his relentless pursuit of potential Democratic candidates on the way to the party re-taking the House under his direction in 2006. The son of an Irgun veteran who fought the British in Palestine, Emanuel volunteered on an Israeli army supply base during the Gulf War before joining the Clinton campaign in 1992.

A brilliant fundraiser who was destined to eventually become House Speaker before he joined the Obama administration, it is unclear what the future holds for Emanuel. The White House has been far from the smooth “no drama” Obama campaign with leaks abounding and Emanuel suspected as having originated many of them. True, governing is very different from campaigning and every White House eventually becomes fractured and factionalised but some question whether Emanuel is controlling things as he should. There have been rumours he wants to run for Mayor of Chicago in 2011, a job he has coveted since boyhood. Lower profile than he was six months ago, Emanuel has not been as effective in pushing Obama’s agenda on Capitol Hill as some expected he would be. Emanuel, however, will undoubtedly remain a power to be reckoned with.

6. Al Gore (2)

Former Vice President, environmental campaigner

Without doubt the most influential voice on climate policy, Gore has engineered an astonishing turnaround since the body blow of losing to George W Bush in the 2000 presidential election despite winning the popular vote. He has also become exceedingly rich, with his personal fortune rising from $2 million to an estimated $96 million since he quit mainstream politics.

Accused of a massive conflict of interest because of his investments in green technology, Gore has countered that the majority of his business activity is not environmental, while every cent of such profit has gone into his foundation, the Alliance for Climate Protection. A bogeyman for climate change sceptics, the amount of electricity used in his Nashville home has also come under the microscope and the former veep was embarrassed when Irish documentary maker Phelim McAleer recently confronted him.

The High Court in London, assessing whether or not his Oscar-winning film An Inconvenient Truth should be shown in schools, found nine examples of factual inaccuracy made in “the context of alarmism and exaggeration”. None of this has made much of a dent in the Nobel Prize winner’s global reputation, however. Once expected to take an official advisory role to the Obama administration, he has instead remained above the fray.

Obama’s climate change “czar” Carol Browner is an old Gore protégé who served as the head of Environmental Protection Agency when he was vice-president, so his input into policy remains. She has already moved to tighten the federal government’s ability to impose restrictions on emissions. Both face an uphill task, however, to persuade the Senate to pass a cap-and-trade bill in the middle of recession.

7. Oprah Winfrey (9)

Talk show host

Some believe that the Queen of Talk is already the most influential person in the world. But Oprah, 55, upped her political influence cred, when she announced her endorsement in 2006 for Barack Obama, caling him “the One” - the first time she has ever endorsed a political candidate. Oprah appeared for her candidate at a primary campaign in South Carolina but it remains unclear whether it was she or President Bill Clinton’s perceived racial slights that delivered the landslide in the Palmetto State. One analysis credits her with garnering at least one million votes for Obama in the general election.

In November, Oprah reminded viewers on a show with guest Sarah Palin that she publicly had supported Obama for President. But when she asked Palin if she planned to replace her as the world’s most watched chat show host, Palin demurred, shrieking “You’re the queen, Oprah!” The following week, Oprah announced the decision to end the Oprah Winfrey Show as she expands her kingdom from Harpo Productions to her very own cable network---the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) - a move that will give the billionaire even more content control on the airwaves.

8. Tim Geithner (Did not appear on the 2007 list)

Treasury Secretary

Overcoming the predictions of some and the hopes of others, Geithner has survived his first year. Complaints have come from both Left and Right: that he was too cosy with Wall Street, shouldn’t have let Lehmann Brothers fail and gave away too much tax payer money to the banks. All this criticism has been tempered by the fact that he has been confronted by the gravest challenge anyone holding his job has faced for 70 years. The economy was – and is - in the doldrums and the financial system was close to calamity, if not outright collapse when he was promoted from the chairmanship of the New York federal reserve.

Geithner had already played a leading role in structuring the $700 billion bailout agreed late in George W Bush’s term before he took the lead in devising the record $787 billion stimulus bill in the first months of the new administration. Early on he attracted negative comments for his unsure performances and at times rabbit-in-the-headlights demeanour, not to mention messing up his tax returns when at the IMF.

With a little time and Obama’s faith, his confidence in public has grown, while the message that Main Street is furious about how quickly Wall Street has returned to profits and handsome bonuses is finally getting through. Regulatory reform is grinding through Congress and a bank tax to recover lost tax revenue is under consideration. Perhaps more than anyone in government bar the president, Geithner’s decision-making will affect not just the country’s well being, but his boss’s political health.

9. David Axelrod (68)

White House Senior Advisor

The affable and disheveled Axelrod has managed to come through Obama’s first year with his reputation as one of the political scene’s nice guys relatively intact. Nonetheless, his easy-going manner and willingness to talk to the media may not be able to suppress concerns that he is simply reprising the nefarious - if not Machiavellian - White House consigliere role that has become so tainted over the years.

Officially his mission is to offer advice and protect and transmit the Obama message. As problems have mounted he has been used more and more frequently, particularly to respond to critics of healthcare. Karl Rove comparisons are the last he would welcome, but Axelrod attends National Security Council meetings, convenes weekly policy sessions and is intimately involved in devising retaliations against Right-wing critics such as Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. He also delivers polling news to the president and is outranked only by his friend Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff.

Since the 2008 campaign started he has been a pillar of the Obama team. Axelrod once said, “If I could help to get Obama to Washington, then I would have accomplished something great in my life”. Whatever fire control he does between now and 2012, as things stand keeping Obama in the capital will be a substantial challenge too.

10. Harry Reid (33)

Senate Majority Leader

The son of an alcoholic miner from Searchlight, Nevada, Reid became the master of the Senate after Democrats won both houses of Congress in 2006. Two years later, he found himself sitting on a filibuster-proof 60 to 40 majority with a President determined to ram home the Democratic agenda.

He spearheaded an ambitious agenda, including the $787 billion economic stimulus package enacted in February 2009, healthcare reform and drawing down troops from an Iraq war that Reid declared “lost” in April 2007 even as President George W. Bush’s surge was succeeding and bringing relative peace to the country. Reid, a Mormon, is a relative moderate but has become a hate figure for conservatives for his withering attacks on Republicans – he compared those who opposed healthcare reform to those who had wanted to keep slavery.

Although he has brought back lots of “bacon” to Nevada and kept nuclear waste out of the state’s Yucca Mountain site, his poll ratings back home are terrible. Now fighting for his political life, he suffered a self-inflicted wound last week when it emerged that he had described Obama two years ago as politically viable because he was “light-skinned" and had “no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." The real damage might not be not that many consider him racist but that he sounded anachronistic and out of touch. Get ready for the mother of all Senate races in Nevada – though the Republicans have yet to settle on an opponent – as liberals and conservatives pour cash into the state for what will become a grudge match.

11. Michelle Obama (48)

First Lady

Michelle Obama is the first black First Lady in American history but the Princeton and Harvard Law graduate has made it a point to publicly state her top White House priority as being a good mother to daughters Malia and Sasha. That announcement ruffled the liberal feathers of some who might have seen her taking on a more aggressive policy role as Hillary Clinton once did. And despite some early campaign mistakes - such as commenting that her husband’s election made her proud to be an American for the first time in her life - her focus on affordable fashion, healthy eating underscored by an organic garden on the White House lawn, and a more accessible personal style has endeared her to Americans and the world. She received rave reviews for her genuine, informal style on a UK trip – including a welcomed breach of Royal protocol by touching the Queen - where she visited a girls’ school in London’s East End.

Mrs Obama also has met American military families frequently and has worked hard to encourage the tradition of public service in the US. But it hasn’t all been First Lady Lite. Passionate on the issue of healthcare reform, last summer she addressed a meeting of health-care workers at a Washington, D.C. clinic stating, "The current system is economically unsustainable, and I don’t have to tell any of you that."

12. Arianna Huffington (16)

publisher of Huffington Post

Greek-born Arianna Huffington has been a California gubernatorial candidate, author, talk show host, actress, and political commentator. But it is as publisher of the Huffington Post, launched in 2005, that this political chameleon has been thrust into the most influential role of her life. Last year, Huffington was number 12 in Forbes magazine’s premiere list of the Most Influential Women In Media. A top destination for high-profile bloggers - many of them are Huffington’s friends - the Huff Post, as it is known, provides coverage of world news, politics, media, business, entertainment, and style from a progressive point of view. In the past few years, Huffington’s stances have been to the Left of the Democratic party and she was strongly pro-Obama in the 2008 campaign. Since he came to office, however, she has often criticised him for being too centrist.

13. Sonia Sotomayor (-)

Supreme Court Justice

The first Latino and the third woman to be nominated to the US Supreme Court, Sotomayor took her seat on the nation’s highest bench in August of last year after a far less contentious confirmation process than many had anticipated. A frequent speech giver and strong advocate of Hispanic and minority rights, her toughest questioning came over a remark in a speech about the superiority of the "wise Latina", which produced outrage among some Republicans over potential identity- based judicial decision-making. But Sotomayor backed off her statement, describing it as "a rhetorical flourish that fell flat" and rejecting the notion that any group “has an advantage in sound judgment" over another.

One of her main detractors on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, concluded that Sotomayor’s judicial decisions were not outside the mainstream and complimented her on her success in the legal profession suggesting that might she even be open-minded enough to support finding a fundamental right to possess firearms under the Constitution - a right she might not want for herself. Will be shaping the law long after Obama has retired from politics.

14. Denis McDonough (-)

Acting Chief of Staff, National Security Council

McDonough has emerged as a major voice within the White House and was a key player in the eventual decision to spend 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan. A foreign policy adviser to former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle, and one of several ex-Daschle staffers to join Obama early on, he was a senior fellow at the liberal Centre for American Progress think tank, which has seen a major exodus to the administration.

He is trusted as a commonsense voice but fellow traveller with the president on issues such as poverty and global warming. He also opposed the Iraq war from the start, and was among Obama’s foremost foreign policy advisers on the campaign. Starting life in the White House as NSC communications director, where he helped write major foreign policy speeches for the president, he was a natural choice to replace Mark Lippert who left the administration for US Naval Reserve duty. In on all the important decisions, expect McDonagh to rise and rise within the Obama administration.

15. Janet Napolitano (-)

Secretary of Homeland Security

Valued by Democrats for her management skills developed as a former Governor of Arizona, Arizona Attorney General and law firm partner, Napolitano was a popular party choice for Secretary of Homeland Security, made up of 22 separate agencies with the main mission of preventing terrorist attacks against the US – despite her lack of any national security credentials. But her comment the day after the Christmas Day terrorist attempt on a plane bound for Detroit that “the system worked” led to widespread ridicule – she will be saddled with it forever. Despite the call for heads to roll, Obama has stood by Napolitano and everyone else on his team. Nicknamed “Big Sis” by conservatives, she is a big Republican target.

16. Mark Warner (22)

Senator for Virginia

Fresh-faced, wealthy rich, personable and a moderate from a purple state with a successful spell as Governor under his belt, Mark Warner could well be the next Democratic president. In 2008 he took the Senate seat vacated by Republican John Warner (no relation), after flirting with a presidential run. He had left office as governor of Virginia with 70 per cent approval ratings, having put the state on course to fiscal stability with various indirect tax rises.

He was an early supporter of Barack Obama, sharing the president’s call for a new civility in politics. “The challenges we face are much more about the future versus the past and as long as we face that future and avoid the political divisions of the past, there is nothing we can't accomplish as Americans first and foremost," he said in his acceptance speech. More moderate than Obama, watch to see if Warner distances himself from the President. He would be a likely vice-presidential candidate should Biden’s services be dispensed with in 2012 (though Democrats would not want a special Senate election in Virginia). A lacklustre speech at the 2008 Democratic convention, however, showed he may need to work on his big stage skills.

17. Robert Gibbs (-)

White House Press Secretary

A journeyman Senate aide who became a trusted Obama campaign hand when he lucked out by landing on Barack Obama’s Senate race in 2004. Gibbs, just 38, is unusual as a press secretary because he is a bona fide member of the Obama inner circle of five or so confidants. He has been described by the Washington Post as “the Barack Whisperer”. The Alabaman is highly partisan and can be very aggressive when reporters get on the wrong side of him – some were banned from the campaign plane in 2008.

A sports nuts – one of the ways he bonded with Obama – he loves baseball and basketball metaphors. When Fox News’s Sean Hannity suggested “guilty by association” regarding Obama’s connection to Bill Ayers, the former Weather Underground co-founder, Gibbs asked Hannity whether having an anti-Semite on his show made him anti-Semitic. It was an impressive performance and briefly had the voluble Hannity stumped. Few effective press secretaries are especially liked by the press and Gibbs is no exception. Some, however, believe he takes defending his boss too far and warn that he could lose the trust of the media that played such a big part in getting Obama elected.

18. Barney Frank (31)

Massachusetts congressman

Regarded by Democrats as one of their biggest stars in the House and the only politician who truly understands what went wrong in the subprime mortgage debacle. Republicans grudgingly respect his intellect and combative spirit. Frank, Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District representative since 1980, has been a consistently ultra-liberal voice in Washington. He came to real national prominence in 2008 after his leading role in getting Congress to pass the controversial $700 billion financial rescue package, which allowed the US Treasury to buy up bad mortgage securities in an effort to stimulate financial credit. Republicans noted that Frank’s boyfriend had been a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions. Heavy criticism was levied at Frank, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee since 2007, for supporting the bailout package. Frank has suggested suing the insurance giant AIG to recoup millions of dollars in executive bonuses.

Frank was the first openly gay member of the House when he arrived in 1981 and has been an outspoken advocate of gay rights. In 1991, he received an official reprimand for reflecting "discredit upon the House" after paying a male prostitute for sex and later making him a personal aide and moving him into his house. Frank is regarded as one of the Congress’s sharpest wits and most eloquent speakers. When a constituent at a town hall meeting in Dartmouth, Massachusetts asked him why he was “supporting this Nazi policy” on healthcare he responded: “On what planet do you spend most of your time?" Before continuing that she was spewing "vile, contemptible nonsense", he concluded: “Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table."

19. John Kerry (37)

Senator for Massachusetts

Was angling to be Secretary of State but Obama turned to Hillary Clinton. Instead, he had to settle for Joe Biden’s old job of chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – an ideal post for the verbose and self-regarding Kerry.

Apart from pushing the administration’s overseas agenda in Congress, Kerry was called in to broker a deal in Afghanistan between Hamid Karzai and his election rivals. The fact that Obama turned to him was a testament to his background, experience and contacts in the international sphere – and won him many brownie points in Obamaland. Democrats seldom treat losing presidential candidates well and Kerry has suffered for his 2004 loss. Despite endorsing Obama at a critical early stage just before the South Carolina primary, he got no big job in the administration but would be a natural pick to succeed Clinton in a second Obama term.

After five Senate terms, his self-declared great mission is reversing climate change. “There is no way possible for the US to be secure against terrorism unless we free ourselves from fossil fuel,” he said in 2008. But he has his work cut out in pushing energy reform through the Senate.

20. Eric Holder (-)

Attorney General

It has been a momentous first year for the nation’s top legal officer. In selecting to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 suspects in New York he invited storms of protest from Republicans, though not, so far, from a majority of New Yorkers themselves.

His tenure has been marked by the tricky act of balancing Obama’s campaign commitments to openness with the hard realities of national security. In contrast to the terror trial decision, a stack of new photographs of prisoner abuse by US military personnel will not be shown to the public and Bush-era CIA interrogators will not be prosecuted – as many on the Left demand. Holder is no stranger to controversy, having faced fierce criticism for pardoning the fugitive Marc Rich in the final days of Bill Clinton’s presidency, when he was deputy attorney general. His experience then led him to state he was “done with public office”, but he always coveted the top Justice job and Obama plucked him from private practice to become America’s first black Attorney General.

His decision to put the 9/11 suspects through the criminal justice system had Obama’s full support but could be a public relations disaster waiting to happen. Anything short of the maximum sentences will play badly with the public, particularly in the wake of the underwear bomber’s botched attempt to blow up a flight to Detroit. If any of the defendants walk free then Obama could be rendered a one-term president virtually overnight.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6991000/The-most-influential-US-liberals-20-1.html