Sunday, November 23, 2008

Rahm Emanuel

Obama's first official move was to ask Rahm Emanuel to serve as his Chief of Staff. I got this article from the New York Times, and I thought it summed up what he will bring to the White House pretty well.

An unusual hybrid of high-level experience as a top adviser to President Bill Clinton together with proven expertise as a Congressional leader and political strategist. Mr. Emanuel is also a close friend of Mr. Obama, a fellow Chicagoan.

As the No. 4 Democrat in the House and an architect of the Democratic majority, Mr. Emanuel knows Congress from the inside out after winning his seat in 2002. In the Clinton administration, he was aggressive, frequently profane and instrumental in shaping domestic policy on issues like health care, welfare and trade.

He earned the nickname Rahmbo for his determination and take-no-prisoners approach — an advantage when trying to bring a thorny issue to resolution, but a style that can be off-putting to those accustomed to gentility. In resigning his seat, Mr. Emanuel will be relinquishing a promising House career and aspirations to become speaker.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06emanuel.html

No comments: