15. Robert Zimmerman

The perennial Democratic heavyweight and political strategist continues to score nationally with a party that has captured the headlines in the 2008 presidential race. You can be sure Zimmerman is somewhere, lurking behind the curtains and pulling the strings. His straightforward approach and cool demeanor make him a natural television pundit and go-to-guy for political booking agents nationally. No doubt he is enjoying the power that comes with the Democrats having the House under control. And, although we don’t like to repeat ourselves, forgive us if we invoke words from Zimmerman’s 2007 Power List write-up: “Don’t say we didn’t call it when he is standing about three feet away from the next president.”