Obama's Team on the Hill

By Jonathan Weisman
Barack Obama's presidential campaign announced a new slate of liaisons to Capitol Hill today, topped by longtime watchdog Phil Schiliro, who, as House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman's chief of staff, has been instrumental in the Democrats' digging on issues from Medicare costs to the Iraq war build-up.

Schiliro also worked briefly for former senate minority leader Tom Daschle, who helped Obama build his Senate staff after his election to Congress in 2004. Also part of the liaison team will be Mike Strautmanis, a chief political adviser of Obama's and longtime personal friend; Karen Richardson, the Democratic National Committee's policy director who served as deputy policy director in Obama's Senate office; and Michael Robertson, who was deputy to the chief counsel in Obama's Senate office.