It is testament to her close relationship to Barack and Michelle Obama – and to members of their inner circle - that Desiree Rogers threw an intimate birthday party for her friend, Valerie Jarrett, last week. Among the guests were the president-elect and his wife.

They don’t come much more networked than Valerie Jarrett.

A behind-the-scenes scramble has already begun to fill the Senate seats that will be left vacant by Barack Obama and Joe Biden when they are installed as president and vice-president.

Valerie Jarrett, a member of Barack Obama’s kitchen cabinet and a fundraiser for his campaign, was the top new search on Muckety last week.

In an effort to highlight some of Barack Obama’s more controversial associations, the Republican National Committee has created a Facebook spoof site called BarackBook.com.

The richest man in the world is ramping up his involvement in the campaign to elect Barack Obama the next president.

To a degree unlike any other city in America, Chicago is identified with its black elite. Locals joke that you can find more black millionaires per square foot at the Chicago Urban League’s annual dinner than you can anywhere in the world.

With Barack Obama sewing up the Democratic nominee for president, one of the hottest games in Chicago is guessing who might accompany him to Washington.

Barack Obama’s education in the bare-knuckled and often tribal politics of Chicago says much about his ambition, as well as his ability to cultivate powerful mentors.