"Emanuel, a knowledgeable source tells ABC News, has not yet given his answer. The sharp-tongued, sharp-elbowed, keenly intelligent veteran of the Clinton White House is said to have ambitions to some day be Speaker of the House. But he also has a keen sense of "duty."

Today on "Good Morning America" ABC's George Stephanopoulos reported Obama likes the fact that Emanuel "knows policy, knows politics, knows Capitol Hill" and has told associates that Emanuel would "have his back."

This was leaked before the election. I heard it at least a couple of days before.

"The sharp-tongued, sharp-elbowed, "

I like that sharp-elbowed part. Obama needs a war-time consigliere. The Republicans will try to undermine him every second.

The Israel haters are going to blow several gaskets when they figure out his father was a member of the Irgun. Screw 'em.

Emanuel is a smart, wiley, very tough guy, exactly what's needed for a chief of staff in the WH.

I'm reminded of Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's chief of staff at SHAEF during WW2. Asked to describe his job, Smith replied, "I'm Ike's sonofabitch."

Rahm Emanuel gets to play Mr. Nasty next to Barack Obama's Mr. Nice.

Very smart.

Depends on what comes out of illinois that is credible.

Where is that birth cert. we want immigrants to have one dont we.

ha ha

Love the Smith quote, Doc. Emanuel seems like a pretty good choice to me as well. The conservatives at The Corner don't like it, which speaks well of him.

So much for reaching across the isle. THis guy has stated he has no need to work with the other party. I'm sure he will help Obama be the man he was before the campain started. THe one that some of us knew he was before the move to the center

"Emanuel is a a former aide and policy advisor in President Clinton's White House." So much for change we can believe in. I expect more of the same.

Obama will choose the best and the brightest to be part of his Administration. Notice its been reported that He may ask Robert Gates to stay on at
Defense and that he is considering Republican Senator Richard Lugar for State.

I think his Administration will be younger than usual, smarter than recently and committed to improving life for the majority of Americans.

This admin will value competence over blind political loyalty.

Oh no!!!

A COS with a muslin sounding name!!!

Scurry!!....Flee!!

MSNBC is reporting that Emanuel has accepted the job. Good. Obama needs a hammer.

Emanuel - the guy who worked to help Tim Mahoney keep his House seat after he was caught putting his mistress on the payroll to the tune of $121,000 in taxpayer money. Yeah, sounds like change alright.

Emmanuelle as COS?

Sweeeeet!

Posted by JOE

ha ha

Emanuel - the guy who worked to help Tim Mahoney keep his House seat after he was caught putting his mistress on the payroll to the tune of $121,000 in taxpayer money. Yeah, sounds like change alright.

#15 | Posted by JOE at 2008-11-05 02:49 PM

If Emanuel's job is carrying out Obama's orders and making sure things are in check, then yes change it is.

We have a lot of sore losers here today, yes?

Yep.

Chimpy2 picks a political hack for chief of staff.

"If Emanuel's job is carrying out Obama's orders and making sure things are in check, then yes change it is."

Yeah - Emanuel will have nothing to do with policy and will have no autonomy, he will merely be a tool. That's why, according to the article, "Obama likes that Emanuel knows policy." And Emanuel has a history of being a tool and being completely controlled by others. Riight.

I think I most want to know who will be Attorney General and who will get to go after the crooks from the Bush administration. I want someone smart, tough and relentless.

I hear Sen Joe Leecherman just posted his resume on Monster.com

Wouldn't be surprised to to Arizona govenror Janet Napolitano as AG. Someone who knows about the law, is willing to enforce it, and unafraid of kicking ass and taking names.

Of course, on all these appointments if you're talking about people---either Dems or Reps---already in some elective office, you've got to factor in the how-do-we-not-lose-the-seat question. Example: If Lugar was to be offered State I can't see him taking it without taking into consideration how the GOP does not lose a Senate seat by him doing so. (In his case it's strongly GOP Inidana.)

Didn't you hear Lugar's comments today Doc?

Found this--

"Didn't you hear Lugar's comments today Doc?"

Nope, I've been here working and then postponing work by visiting the DR.

What'd he say? "No"?

Who gives a fuck?

Lugar repeated that he wasn't interested.

I saw the thread title, and assumed it was Emanuel Lewis.

"Didn't Rahm use profanity referring to a lot of different people?? Republicans?? Using the f-word??
#27 | Posted by MURPHY"

Damn, you're not fucking around are you? As in shitting me?
~Dick "Major League" Cheney

"I think I most want to know who will be Attorney General"

Remember the name "Jim Doyle."

"I think I most want to know who will be Attorney General"

Remember the name "Jim Doyle."

#33 | Posted by JOE

Yes, please Barrack!

Keeping with her Orwellian style of campaigning,
Gov. Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech today.
She said she was looking forward to moving her ever growing family with funny names into the Naval Observatory this weekend.

"Yes, please Barrack!"

Isn't your Lt. governor even worse?

Isn't your Lt. governor even worse?

#36 | Posted by JOE

Yes, Lawton is worse, but we beaten down and bloodied Republicans can run her out of office. Jimbo has the Indians and Teachers Union in his pocket. He would be tougher to knockout.

With luck you guys will see Scott Walker as your new governor in 2010. Illinois, on the other hand, can't even get rid of Rod Blagojevich.

Well that is because they are:

Dancing in Chicaaaaagoooo

he's not keeping any of georgie's crew, witless.

Dancing in Chicaaaaagoooo

#39 | Posted by Manypaths

It's Wednesday. Shouldn't they be working or did Oprah and that lakey Stedman declare a Holiday?

You are not 'working'

You are not 'working'

#42 | Posted by Manypaths

Bull. I'm helping the boss loose money today to get him under the $250k income limit.

Oh, not me. We just closed 2 retained searches.

We just closed 2 retained searches.

#44 | Posted by Manypaths

What's that?

Placing executives into organizations.

Placing executives into organizations.

#46 | Posted by Manypaths

Really. Are you Nationwide?

Yes. Actually, I do not do anything within my own state.

Placing executives into organizations = finding assistant managers for Mickey D's

Hey, assistant managers make excecutive decisions you know!

And Joe, I would be that Emanuel does a good job extending the Obama doctrine. I have a feeling the first black president is going to want a tight ship.

Hey, assistant managers make excecutive decisions you know!

Yeah, but not too many burger joints are willing to pay my firm $30,000 for one of them.

you guys wanna see what America is going to look like in 4 years? look at the City of Chicago. -done-

Emmanuelle as COS?

Now I can't get that theme song out of my head.

ha ha.

loser!

you guys wanna see what America is going to look like in 4 years? look at the City of Chicago.

We're all going to have great pizza and two baseball teams? Sweet.

Well, now that is just bad timing.......

Emanuel - the guy who worked to help Tim Mahoney keep his House seat after he was caught putting his mistress on the payroll to the tune of $121,000 in taxpayer money. Yeah, sounds like change alright.

#15 | Posted by JOE at 2008-11-05 02:49 PM

you whine more than a woman on her "week".

"We're all going to have great pizza and two baseball teams? Sweet."

I would rather eat a bullet than root for the pathetic loosers like the CUBs! When was the last pennant the won? Let alone a World Series.

I'm more of a Thin Crust guy myself. Not knocking Gino's East or anything but Pizza is ment to be a food to eaten WITHOUT silverware people. Oh and a larg pizza should never be 30 bucks Gino's is crazy Expensive.

Now this is change we can believe in.

"[T]he night after Clinton was elected, Emanuel was so angry at the president's enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting "Dead! . . . Dead! . . . Dead!" and plunging the knife into the table after every name. "When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape," one campaign veteran recalls. "It was like something out of The Godfather. But that's Rahm for you."

CHeering at CUBS game is like gambling on the Special Olympics. Its just wrong.....

And I live in Illinois, but am moving soon I hope. The sate is in some fucked up shape.

Yes. Actually, I do not do anything within my own state.
#48 | Posted by Manypaths

You could be an Illinois Senator with an attitude like that.

I understand there's an opening.

So Obama lied when he promised 'change'? Why would his first appointment be a potical hack who is the most partisan Dem in the house?

But I guess the 'young voters' missed this announcement because the election is over and american idol reruns are on.

"[T]he night after Clinton was elected, Emanuel was so angry at the president's enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting "Dead! . . . Dead! . . . Dead!" and plunging the knife into the table after every name. "When he was done, the table looked like a lunar landscape," one campaign veteran recalls. "It was like something out of The Godfather. But that's Rahm for you."
Headshot

Hey, to the winner go the spoils.. not a surprising move..

I don't know if any of the talking head pundits know anything.. but the pundit take is that Rahm sees himself as presidential timber, and could undermine Obama.

But who knows.. if those guys had been correct, Hillary would now be the president elect.

I'm just praying the more moderate Dems will curb some of the move-on people excesses.. like card check for one..

you guys wanna see what America is going to look like in 4 years? look at the City of Chicago. -done-
Frontline had a doc on last night about the Chicago corruption.

It would not be sursprising to see Obama's admin have the most convictions of any in history. Just behind the Clinton's.

Ah, yes. Bush lied.

I don't knoe this dude Emmanuel but if that story is true it sounds like Obama's administration will be similar to McGreevey in NJ

Most people don't realize that the COS main job is to control access to the POTUS, which generally means telling members of his own party "No" when they try to get in front of the President to present their agenda.

Don't make the mistake of confusing Emanuel's politics with his policies...his job will be more to keep Obama in the middle and the far-left agenda to the sideline. From today's LA Times:

Republican strategist John Feehery -- who worked for former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and former House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel as well as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay -- said Emanuel could help prevent House Democrats from overreaching.

"He understands that if Obama goes too far to the left, it's not going to be good for the Democrats," Feehery said. "I think he's the kind of guy who can knock some heads and help Obama guide the Congress toward the middle. . . . You will need a bad cop to Obama's good cop, and Rahm will fill that role quite nicely."

Emanuel's policies, unlike his politics, have always been centrist, in the Bill Clinton mold. In addition, a different Emanuel has emerged in recent years, one who has forged friendships with Republicans and shown an ability to work with them on occasion.

I think it is a good pick, let's hope more are in the offing.

I heard somewhere that The West Wing's Josh Lyman was based off of Rahm...

Useless trivia of the day :)

You will need a bad cop to Obama's good cop, and Rahm will fill that role quite nicely."

Sounds about right.

Wonderful anecdote about Rahm tonight on CNN where he apparently once told Tony Blair on a visit to the WH to see CLinton "Don't fuck this up"

Spud LOL'd.

He will be an effective gatekeeper fer Obama and the fact that he and Axelrod go back a ways aint gonna hurt.

Spud two biggest questions right now are...

Who's gonna clean up the mess at the DoJ

&

Who's gonna take over from Hank Paulson?

Hillary apparently don't want the DoJ gig.

Be Well.