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 Valerie Jarrett, the finance chair of Obama's 2004 Senate bid, will advise Obama on campaign strategy and possibly travel with him, campaign manager David Plouffe said in an interview Thursday.
Plouffe said Jarrett's new role does not indicate a shake-up and instead was part of "all hands on deck time" as the Illinois senator comes into the final stretch. Pete Rouse, the chief of staff of Obama's Senate office, also has been spending more time advising at the Chicago campaign headquarters.
Jarrett was formerly a top aide to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who hired Obama's wife, Michelle, in the early 1990s when the couple was engaged. Jarrett was the first treasurer for Obama's political action committee and among a small handful of confidants he consulted as he made plans to enter the Democratic race. She also traveled with Michelle Obama earlier this year as the candidate's wife increased her campaign appearances.
Jarrett is now CEO of Habitat Co., a real estate development and management firm, and will advise Obama part time, without an official title or campaign paycheck, Plouffe said. Jarrett did not respond to e-mail and telephone messages left Thursday by The Associated Press.
Obama entered the campaign in February with significant support for a national newcomer and since has raised nearly $60 million in the first six months of the year. But even as he becomes more well known and his fundraising has been an overwhelming success, he has been unable to get past Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead in national and early state polls.
Plouffe acknowledged that Obama "ruffled some feathers" among some of his top financial backers this week with his criticism of investors' values during a speech at the NASDAQ Marketsite. Obama said a "what's good for me is good enough" mentality has crept into parts of the business world while working Americans struggle, and he called for a "reappraisal of values."
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 "Was everybody who works on Wall Street or works in the financial industry, including supporters of ours, thrilled about that speech? No," Plouffe said. "But if you are going to level with the American people, you have to be willing to walk the walk."
Obama and John Edwards remain close to Clinton in the paramount first contest in Iowa, where their standings vary depending on the poll. But Plouffe said their organization is the strongest of any campaign across early states and they haven't begun to spend their considerable resources on television ads outside of Iowa that can drive up his support.
Later in Atlanta, Obama drew strong applause at a low-dollar fundraiser when he mentioned the civil rights protest in Louisiana over the case of six black teenagers, five of whom initially were charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.
"What people are simply asking for is that the system of justice is fair, is evenhanded and applies to everyone," said Obama, who appeared with R&B singer Usher and former Atlanta Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins at the event, which attracted about 2,000 people.
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On the Net:
Barack Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/
[Associated Press; by Nedra
Pickler]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
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