Obama Ignores DLC

CHICAGO -- It helped launch the last Democratic president and has pushed and prodded every Democratic candidate since Bill Clinton to adopt its centrist positions on issues from budget discipline to welfare.

But when the Democratic Leadership Council met over the weekend in the shadow of Barack Obama's Chicago headquarters, he didn't bother to stop by.

Is it losing its clout? Its members hope not, sidestepping Obama's refusal to see them and politely urging him to consider their approaches....