(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-17 08:48

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama Monday appointed Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager to his own White House campaign as he beefed up his team for November's general election.

Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Sen. Barack Obama speaks at a campaign rally at Kettering High School in Flint, Michigan. Obama Monday appointed Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager to his own White House campaign as he beefed up his team for November's general election. [Agencies]

Patti Solis Doyle, who was ousted from the faltering Clinton campaign in February, will be chief of staff to Obama's eventual pick as vice presidential nominee.

That could revive talk of whether the former first lady might become Obama's running mate, although she and Solis Doyle have reportedly not spoken for months and Clinton herself says she is not in the running for the job.

Solis Doyle was one of 15 new postings on the Obama team announced by its campaign manager David Plouffe, mostly existing staff members who take on new responsibilities from field operations to voter outreach and registration.

"Today we're adding to our leadership team so that we reach even more Americans who share the belief that people who love their country can change it," Plouffe said in a statement.

Among other prominent hires was 2004 nominee John Kerry's spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter as chief of staff to Obama's wife Michelle, portending a harder hitting rebuttal of Republican attacks on the putative first lady.

Plouffe also announced new officials as campaign chief of staff, director for battleground states, director for industrial states and head of Latino outreach -- all signaling a redoubled determination to organize for November.