(FORTUNE Magazine) – The Clinton presidency will bring to the fore a new crowd of congressional leaders. Most are members of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council, which Clinton chaired and helped found, though some, like West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, hail from a more liberal tradition. What they have in common is their desire for change and a barrelful of new ideas. The President-elect has already relied heavily on Senators Sam Nunn and David Boren, as well as Congressmen Les Aspin of Wisconsin and Dave McCurdy of Oklahoma, for counsel on defense and foreign policy. One of this quartet may end up running the Pentagon. For advice on health care, Clinton has turned to Arkansas Senator David Pryor, Rockefeller, and Tennessee Congressman Jim Cooper. (Cooper's former aide crafted Clinton's health care proposal.) Nunn, Boren, and House Budget Committee Chairman Leon Panetta -- all vocal advocates of deficit reduction -- could help their leader win passage of his more controversial spending cuts and tax changes.