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KSM and his evil twin,
Rahmbo
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Just A Coincidence
Left: Rahm Emanuel -- Right: Khalid Sheik
Mohammed
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| Rahmbo |
Rahm Emanuel (nickname "") is the middle
son of a well-off Jewish family from Chicago, and an absolute dick
to everyone. He studied ballet and then went to Sarah Lawrence
and became a political fundraiser. He was one of the original
fabled "War Room" members of the '92 Clinton Campaign and served in
the White House til '98, when he left to become an investment banker
(millionaire) and teach at Northwestern.
He returned
to Washington after running (kicking ass) for Congress. He was
already pretty much a legend in Washington for his temper and
hard-line politics (Hillary tried to have him fired but apparently
they later kissed and made nice), but he *really* made his name upon
his return. He was appointed chair of the Democratic Caucus
pre the 2006 election, and he is pretty much singlehandedly
responsible (in the eyes of most of Congress) for winning back the
House with the decisive majority. He served as the 4th-ranking
member of the House, and was on a very clear path to become Speaker
of the House before giving it up to accept the job as Obama's Chief
of Staff (which many consider to be the second most powerful
position in the country).
Rahm's politics appear to be a
weird, hilarious mixture of clear ideology and shameless
opportunism. In practice, he is still very much a die-hard
Clintonite, which puts him at odds with half the party, but which
Obama has very astutely recognized as a key to much-needed reform in
the House: his politics are staunchly liberal at heart, but in
practice he's a centrist and a strategist first.
From
LiveJournal |
| Rahm Emanuel To Quit White House |
The Telegraph (UK) is
reporting that Rahm Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff, is
expected to leave his job later this year (fall 2010) after growing tired of the
"idealism" of Barack Obama's inner circle.
Washington insiders
say he will quit within six to eight months in frustration at their
unwillingness to "bang heads together" to get policy pushed through.
Emanuel, 50, enjoys a good working relationship with Obama but they
are understood to have reached an understanding that differences over
style mean he will serve only half the full four-year term.
"I
would bet he will go after the midterms," said a leading Democratic
consultant in Washington. "Nobody thinks it's working but they
can't get rid of him -- that would look awful. He needs the right
sort of job to go to but the consensus is he'll go."
An official
from the Bill Clinton era said that "no one will be surprised" if
Emanuel left after the midterm elections in November, when the
Democratic party will battle to save its majorities in the house of
representatives and the senate.
It is well known in Washington
that arguments have developed between pragmatic Emanuel, a veteran in
Congress where he was known for driving through compromises, and the
idealistic inner circle who followed Obama to the White House.
His abrasive style has rubbed some people the wrong way, while there has
been frustration among Obama's closest advisers that he failed to
deliver a smooth ride for Obama's legislative program that his
background promised.
There were sharp differences over health
care reform, with Emanuel arguing that public hostility about cost
should have forced them into producing a scaled down package.
Obama and his ideological advisers, including David Axelrod, the chief
strategist, and Valerie Jarrett, a businesswoman and mentor from
Chicago, decided to push through with grander legislation anyway.
Regarded as the most demanding after Obama, it involves controlling
Obama's agenda, enforcing White House message discipline as well as
liaising with Congress.
His departure would regarded as another
sign of how Obama's presidency has been far more troubled than expected.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. |
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Copyright Beckwith 2009
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