Obama staff combines D.C. with Chicago

Gregory Craig as White House counsel
Obama is expected to name campaign adviser Gregory Craig, who was President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial lawyer, as White House counsel. Sutphen, too, had a role in the Lewinsky scandal that led to Clinton's impeachment.

Sutphen is a foreign policy expert who has had several federal government positions, including as an aide to Bill Richardson when he was ambassador to the United Nations. In that role, Sutphen helped conduct a 45-minute job interview with Lewinsky in late 1997 at the request of John Podesta, who had the same deputy White House chief of staff title for Clinton that she is about to fill for Obama.

The interview led to Sutphen's offering Lewinsky a job at Richardson's direction, shortly before the scandal was about to break publicly. Lewinsky ultimately declined the offer, but Sutphen's name ended up in the Starr Report because of the interview she conducted with Richardson and another one of his aides.

Sutphen most recently has been at Stonebridge International, an Washington-based consulting firm that advises multinational corporations on worldwide business opportunities. She has previously worked as a lobbyist for the firm and on behalf of food distributor Angliss International of London. Her brother is David Sutphen, a top entertainment industry lobbyist for Viacom and the Recording Industry Association of America.

Making Senate resignation official
Obama, making his Senate resignation official, said in a letter published in Illinois newspapers Sunday that he was "ending one journey to begin another. ... But I will never forget and will be forever grateful to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible."

In his published letter, Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln, "another son of Illinois" who had left for Washington, "a greater man who spoke to a nation far more divided."

Lincoln, Obama wrote, said of his home: "To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything."

Obama wrote, "I feel the same, and like Lincoln, I ask for your support, your prayers, and for us to `confidently hope that all will yet be well.'"

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