Obama Camp Bruises Egos on the Hill

You might expect Barack Obama, former senator, to know how to handle Capitol Hill, but in the past week the president-elect has twice incited near-revolt from his fellow Democrats, the LA Times notes. Legislators publicly criticized Obama’s proposed tax cuts and choice for CIA director. Obama’s team put out both fires, but some are still grumbling that Obama isn’t telling them enough.

“I see a culture clash,” said a former White House press secretary. “For a campaign that got kudos for being as well-run as Obama’s, they probably thought they were going to come to Washington and continue with that.” But the egos on the Hill have other ideas. “We worked hard to get Obama elected. We're all in this together,” said one Democrat. “But we’re not going to necessarily be a rubber stamp.” (More Barack Obama stories.)