Obama staffers get early Christmas present

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Staffers who worked long hours to get Barack Obama in the White House are receiving about an extra month's pay, campaign officials say.

The early Christmas present was "totally unexpected," one delighted ex-staffer told the New York Daily News. "And you can't believe how helpful this is with the holidays coming,"

In addition to the money, staffers may keep their campaign-issued computers and BlackBerrys, though they will be taxed on those.

The rare move was made possible because unlike most presidential campaigns, even winning ones, this one wound up far from broke.

In fact, Obama was flush with cash at the end, having skipped public financing. The campaign raised more than $600 million.

If what news reports call a silver parachute approaches Obama's September payroll, it'll be worth upward of $3 million, the Daily News said.

"A lot of people thought they were going to be broke and would have to try to find a job in this rotten economy," a staffer said. "It's a huge help."

Some supporters of the Republican presidential candidate, Arizona Sen. John McCain, reportedly will get checks that cover much of this month, but the amounts are less than the Obama totals, which amount to about a one-month payout for each recipient.