Cheat Sheet

Unlike the McCain marionette show, the Obama campaign's wires don't show, so it's easy to underestimate just how valuable chief strategist David Axelrod has been to its success. The New Republic’s Jason Zengerle has the definitive take. Axelrod has advised several African-American candidates, and has come up with "something that approaches a unified theory of how to elect a black candidate—emphasizing biography, using third-party authentication [endorsements from individuals that whites respect, like the Kennedys, for example], attacking with an unconventional sideways approach, letting voters connect to the candidate by speaking to them directly in ads, and telling voters that supporting the black candidate puts them on the right side of history." The Obama campaign is the jewel in Axelrod's crown.