Axelrod Leaving White House to Lead Obama 2012 Campaign

David Axelrod is crowding into the revolving door out of the White House, as he plans to leave the administration next year to work on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign for 2012, according to news reports. Axelrod, considered the brains behind Obama’s rise to the presidency in 2008, will return to Chicago to work on the campaign, according to the Los Angeles Times and other media outlets.

Axelrod, one of the president’s most trusted advisers, has not decided on a departure date, said a White House aide, who said only that Axelrod will retain his current position "well into 2011.''

Axelrod, who frequently describes himself a "Chicagoan on assignment,'' has said repeatedly that he misses his hometown and would go back to the Windy City before the end of the four-year term.

The Times described Axelrod’s role as extensive, shaping the president's message, overseeing the speechwriting team, plots political strategy, and advising on policy.