Rep. Eric Cantor
House of Representatives, Majority Whip
The Republican whom Democrats—especially Obama—hate most. The Virginia Congressman masterminded, and then masterfully carried out, the GOP's strategy of legislative intransigence that has stymied the White House these past three years. In the process, he imposed his will on all of Washington, refashioning the city into a hyperpartisan capital of gridlock.
Sen. Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senate, Minority Leader
D.C. right now is all about the Politics of "No"—and even Cantor has to go through this guy eventually.
Sec. Leon Panetta
Secretary of Defense
The Washington wise man who the past two Democratic presidents have tasked with their toughest assignments. First, Bill Clinton plucked Panetta from his cushy congressional seat to write the federal budget and then bring order to a chaotic White House. Next, Obama lured him out of semi-retirement on his California walnut farm to run the CIA. After Osama bin Laden was killed, Obama made Panetta his Secretary of Defense.
Sec. Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
In 2011 alone she navigated the Arab Spring, finessed the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, and traveled to nearly 50 countries. Memories of her bruising primary crusade against Obama linger among both of their staffs, but a White House aide told GQ that when it comes to business she's earned the respect of even the most die-hard Obama loyalists.
Ben Bernanke
The Federal Reserve, Chairman
GOP candidates accuse him of treason, fantasize about how they'd "treat him pretty ugly," and promise to "end the Fed" altogether. But with the White House and Congress locked in a permanent stalemate, Bernanke is the only person in Washington who might actually do something to prevent the Great Recession from turning into another Great Depression.
David Patreaus
CIA, Director
The long time Special-Ops enthusiast moved over to run the CIA. Word on the Pentagon City street is that he wanted to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But defense expert Raymond DuBois says the general now realizes that "his power is enhanced when it is exercised with discretion and in the hushed tones of the Oval Office."
Sec. Tim Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury Republicans can't stand him. Liberals can't stand him. The American public can't stand him. And yet when Geithner started making noises last summer about leaving Treasury for the private sector, the White House begged him to stay put through the election. Turns out he's got the support of the only person who matters: his boss (Pres. Obama).
Rep. John Boehner
House of Represenatives, Speaker
Sure, maybe the inmates—or at least his deputies Eric Cantor (#1) and Kevin McCarthy (#8)—are running the House GOP asylum. And his crying fits, combined with his love of good red wine, feed all sorts of scurrilous talk in D.C. But as long as Boehner's the Speaker, he matters.
Sen. Chuck Schumer
U.S. Senate
Media whore, Wall Street shill, shameless self-promoter—and yet, according to The Washington Post, the man who is "arguably the single most effective lawmaker of his generation."
Chuck Todd
White House Correspondent, NBC News
A typical day in the life of the correspondent begins with a before-sunrise appearance on Today and/or Morning Joe. Then, at 9:00 a.m. he hosts his own MSNBC show Daily Rundown. After that, he pops up on more MSNBC and NBC programs throughout the day, including the evening news. All the while Todd's regularly updating his Twitter feed and Facebook page, as well as posting to NBC's "First Read" blog.
Rep. Paul Ryan
House of Representatives
The wonky Wisconsin Congressman is the brain of the GOP. He's also a savvy political operator who cultivates relationships with politicos and press. That's why Mitt and Co. have all given the nod to his budget and Medicare proposals and why David Brooks said that he was responsible for "the most comprehensive and most courageous budget reform proposal any of us have seen in our lifetimes."
Kathy Ruemmler
White House Legal Counsel
As a young federal prosecutor sending Enron baddies Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling to jail, Ruemmler's penchant for stilettos in the courtroom earned her the nickname "the Prosecutrix." Now at the White House, she's overseen some of the hottest legal issues facing the administration, including Gitmo and the phase-out of "Don't ask, don't tell."
Ezra Klein
Blogger As proprietor of the Post's Wonkblog, where he writes and oversees three other policy bloggers, the not-yet-30-year-old has become a singular journalistic force. Obama officials and Congressional Democrats seek his approval on various policy proposals; even Republicans—at least the wonky ones—feel compelled to engage his criticisms.
Svetlana Legetic, Jayne Sandman, Barbara Martin
Party Planners
Washington nightlife is dominated by two very different types of party planners. Martin and Sandman of BrandLinkDC cater to the Georgetown-soiree-and-hotel-bar circuit (VIPS: Candace Bushnell, John Legend); Legetic's Brightest Young Things serves a scruffier, pale-ale-drinking clientele with concerts and comedy (VIPS: Animal Collective, Wale).
Stephen Strasburg
Washington Nationals
He pitched twenty-four innings in five games this year. He had one win, one loss and was the most exciting pitcher in baseball. On the night that the young Nationals ace debuted in 2010—fanning fourteen batters in seven innings, among the all-time great first starts in baseball history—DC's heart swelled for the real-deal phenom with unreal stuff.
James Alefantis
Comet Ping Pong & Buck's Fishing & Camping, Owner
Liberal twentysomethings in khakis drink beer and eat pizza at Alefantis-owned Comet Ping Pong. More established progressives wine and dine next door at Alefantis-owned Buck's Fishing & Camping. Alefantis is also the board president of Transformer, the contemporary art gallery that shamed the Smithsonian for removing an installation offensive to right-wingers. When it comes to D.C. radical chic, Alefantis is unsurpassed. If you don't know him, you aren't wearing your scarf right.
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