On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama is coming under criticism in some circles for appointing an outspoken defender of the retail giant Wal-Mart as his chief adviser on economic policy. The adviser, Jason Furman, is a New York University scholar and former official in the Clinton administration. In 2005, he published a paper entitled “Wal-Mart: A Progressive Success Story” that argued Wal-Mart’s low-prices outweigh the negative effects of its low wages for its workers. Obama has criticized Wal-Mart on the campaign trail and made several references to former rival Senator Hillary Clinton’s time on the Wal-Mart board of directors during their battle for the Democratic nomination.