Obama's West Wing

Rolling Stone provides a closer look on who's sitting where in the White House and the access they have to the president: 

1. The Boss

President Obama has woven three different camps into his inner circle: old hands from his Chicago days, legislative pros with ties to Tom Daschle, and veterans of Bill Clinton's White House. His first-floor seating arrangement includes elements of all three.

2. The Brain

David Axelrod, who ran the president's campaign, sits even closer to Obama than Rove did to Bush; he is the only senior adviser with his own door to Obama's office. "It conveys that Axelrod is involved not only in communicating the president's positions but in formulating them," says a top veteran of the Obama campaign.

3. The Invisible Man

Pete Rouse, another senior adviser, never appears in the media. An ex-chief of staff to Tom Daschle, he maintains deep, bipartisan connections on Capitol Hill. "Rouse's the one who brought 'no drama' to Obama," says a top Democratic strategist. "His enforcement makes it work."

4. The Glue

As chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel unites Obama's team: He's Axelrod's best friend, a Capitol hill pro and the only top adviser who served in the Clinton White House. Obama gives him first and last word at staff meetings and entrusted him to shepherd the stimulus package.

5. The Ear

Vice President Joe Biden, who occupies Cheney's old office, has a weekly lunch with Obama. "I want to be the last guy in the room on every important decision," he says. But insiders say his clout may be undercut by special envoys abroad and issue "czars" at home.

6. The General

A low-profile former NATO commander, Gen. James L. Jones met Obama only twice before being tapped as a national security adviser. He will be the primary conduit of security information to Obama and is charged with reinventing the National Security Council to encompass issues such as energy, climate and cybersecurity.

7. The Spokesman

Press secretary Robert Gibbs, who has worked for Obama since his 2004 Senate run, is "one of four or five guys who can walk into the president's office and sit in on meetings where every big decision is being made," says a Democrat in the know. The downside: Gibbs can't play Scott McLellan-dumb and tell reporters, "I don't know."