Rahm Emanuel was none of these.
He drove his staff with warlike intensity and a message that failure was unacceptable. During the past 20 months Emanuel insulted allies. Sparred with colleagues. Practiced an arm-twisting, old-school politics that seemed at odds with his boss’s inspirational message from the 2008 campaign.
But he also steered passage of what President Barack Obama believes are two major accomplishments: a stimulus package that experts say prevented a sour economy from getting even worse, and a health care overhaul that will provide coverage for 30 million more Americans over the next decade.
Emanuel will leave his White House job Friday, and aides say he plans a “listening tour” in Chicago while he considers a run for mayor. Sources say he has already decided he’ll be a candidate to succeed the city’s mayor for the past 21 years, Richard Daley.
Emanuel leaves a White House that is in a precarious spot. Unemployment has risen to nearly 10 percent, damaging Obama’s approval ratings. Steady Democratic gains in the House and Senate during the past four years may be wiped out in the midterm elections on Nov. 2.
Emanuel enjoyed huge sway in the White House, and as a mayoral candidate may have trouble separating himself from Obama’s record, for better and for worse.
The president will formally announce Emanuel’s resignation in a ceremony in the East Room at the White House. Senior aide Pete Rouse will also be there to accept an appointment as interim chief of staff.
Possible candidates for the permanent job include…. Read the full story at The Chicago Tribune.
