Obama Announces Congressional Liaison Team

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama is turning to members of his own Senate staff to lead his congressional outreach team, tapping 3 of his own Senate aides and the chief of staff to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to lead his congressional liaison team, the campaign announced Monday.

The team consists of Phil Schiliro, a longtime aide to Waxman, Mike Strautmanis, a longtime Obama aide who has worked in the Illinois senator's congressional office, Karen Richardson, who served as deputy policy director in Obama's Senate office and Michael Robertson, who served as
deputy chief counsel in Obama's Senate office 
 
The team will serve as the primary contact for the individual Senators and House members and will ensure that the member of Congress' counsel is considered in overall message strategy, campaign planning and execution, according to a release from the Obama campaign.

"Americans cannot afford four more years of President Bush’s policies and our new team in Washington will help us to stay in contact with members of Congress who know all too well how the divisive politics of the past have impeded progress on measures to move our country in a new direction,” said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.