Rahm Emanuel Reportedly Accepts Chief of Staff Position In Barack Obama's Administration

Well, Barack Obama has reportedly filled his first high level position in his upcoming administration and I am very happy with his choice of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. Emanuel has a reputation of being a wily, aggressive West Wing strategist under President Bill Clinton. I must applaud Barack Obama for his choice of a fine public servant. This move will, undoubtedly, send a clear signal that Obama is eager to work with the Israeli government. The move also reinforces Obama's desire to work with the Congress and launch an aggressive agenda that will focus on the economy, taxes, energy, education and health care.

Obama has also decided on longtime aide Robert Gibbs as his White House press secretary. Rahm has been given a powerful position. "The chief" is sometimes considered as the second most powerful person in Washington. The job has vast authority, as the boss of the hundreds of aides who work directly for the president, a public face of the administration on television, and a negotiator and salesman on Capitol Hill.

Emanuel, 49, is the fourth-ranking House Democratic leader, with the title Democratic Caucus Chair. He is also a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which is among the most desirable assignments in Congress. As chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel was the relentless architect of the Democrats' House takeover in 2006, and some Republicans said the choice sends a partisan signal at time when Obama is promising a new politics.

Rahm is a fighter and will be a true champion for Barack Obama. His mastery on Capitol Hill will help speed his proposals at a time when money is tight and the nation's problems are great. Emanuel has a hard-nosed style, and is known for aggressively working the press. He has working relationships with many congressional Republicans, including Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), a rising GOP star who said after his reelection this week that he plans to leave his No. 3 post in the party's House leadership.

I like Emanuel because he is known as a centrist and a pragmatic dealmaker. That is exactly what we need to navigate the treacherous waters. Under Clinton, he helped engineer passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is opposed by the party's left wing. From his official biography: "Emanuel began his career with the consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. He worked on Paul Simon’s 1984 election to the U.S. Senate and in 1989 served as a senior advisor and chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley. Emanuel served as a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton. After leaving the White House, Emanuel returned to Chicago to serve as a managing director at a leading global investment bank. "Emanuel graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981, and received a Master’s Degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985. He is a resident of Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood where he and his wife are raising three children." Way to go Barack. You have made a wise choice.