John Podesta, a leader of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, was the Clinton administration official who worked to douse scandals, outmanoeuvre Republicans and keep Bill Clinton popular even through impeachment. He's now in charge of a 450-person staff whose experts - including Podesta himself - aren't always in sync with those of his new boss.

Podesta has proposed a different way to pay for universal health care than Obama - even though they both support a huge expansion of coverage. Both men say they also favor a transparent, open government that protects civil rights and liberties, but have different ways to get there.

Podesta, Clinton's former chief of staff who ran the liberal Center for American Progress, acknowledged some differences.

"Before joining the transition, I ran a think tank and have obviously put forward a number of ideas for tackling our nation's most critical problems," Podesta told The Associated Press in a statement. "But I am here to help implement President-elect Obama's agenda, not my own."

Podesta is the best known among Obama's three transition leaders. The others are Pete Rouse, who worked on Capitol Hill more than 30 years and was Obama's chief of staff in the Senate, and Valerie Jarrett, a friend of the president-elect and campaign adviser.

Podesta has thrived on pressure many others wouldn't stand, handling the scandals of the Clinton White House. But since leaving government, he has been writing and speaking on the same issues that Obama will face when he takes office: the economy, global warming, health care, education, the Iraq war.

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