Barack Obama and his aides were downplaying but not outright denying the substance of an Associated Press report Thursday that the Democratic presidential nominee's team had approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about potentially serving as his chief of staff if he were elected.

Obama was asked about the report by a reporter for the Washington Times after his plane landed on the tarmac before a campaign event in Columbia, Mo. "I'm trying to win an election," he said, and then referring to his campaign manager David Plouffe, said, "Plouffe is my chief of staff."

David Axelrod, Obama's top political strategist, said, "No jobs have been proffered. We have no jobs to give out."

Emanuel was a former adviser to President Bill Clinton and has headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He is a shrewd strategist but also considered a highly partisan figure on Capitol Hill.