Posted by DEAN SKIP RUTHERFORD – President-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff is an excellent one. Rahm, a Congressman from Illinois whom the president-elect knows well, spent a year in Arkansas working on former President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign. It was during this time where we developed a good friendship which continues through today.
With high expectations for legislative action and results, one of President Obama’s high priorities will be to make sure Congress passes his major initiatives and programs. There’s no one better to work with the Senate and House leadership than Rahm.
Colorful, direct, competitive, bright, witty, hard working and energetic all describe the new White House chief of staff. Rahm gets things done. He’s a realist and understands how to wade through bureaucracies and break ideological barriers. We certainly look forward to welcoming him to the Clinton School at some point in the future.
And when it comes to free time, let me assure you he will hold his own in a pick up basketball game with the president-elect too. That’s just one of many good Rahm stories.
Give President-elect Obama an A plus for his first major appointment.