Rhodes doesn’t have an obviously radical left-wing background but he is extraordinarily well-connected. His brother, David Rhodes, used to work for Fox News but is now president of CBS News. His wife, Ann Norris, is senior foreign policy and defense advisor to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)

Prior to joining the 2008 Obama presidential campaign as senior speechwriter, Rhodes worked as special assistant to former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton, whom he assisted in writing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. He co-wrote the book, Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission. Rhodes also worked as a speechwriter for Mark Warner (D), now a U.S. senator, when he was governor of Virginia.

A native New Yorker, Rhodes earned a B.A. from Rice University and an M.F.A. from New York University. While earning his master’s degree, he taught writing at NYU and John Jay College. [link to frontpagemag.com]