Obama taps Google's Schmidt for advisory council

Google CEO Eric Schmidt's ongoing relationship with President Obama has just gotten an official stamp. According to the White House, Schmidt has been named as a member of the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group which will advise the president and vice president on a variety of science, technology and innovation areas.

Schmidt was a vocal supporter of Obama in his presidential campaign and has since been a guest at the White House. He had been mentioned in the press as a possible candidate for the administration's chief technology officer, a position that went instead to Aneesh Chopra, Virginia's secretary of technology. 

In addition to Schmidt, the advisory council includes a broad array of leading U.S. scientists and engineers.