Like the Biden choice, Emanuel's selection is clearly the product of

[smoogatz]

actual, careful thought. The Chief of Staff acts as a gatekeeper: he/she controls, to a large extent, who gets access to the President and how much, and under what terms. Emanuel has a reputation as a REAL pitbull; a guy who'll chew your arm off if you fuck with him. That's exactly the kind of personality the job requires. Also worth noting that in selecting Emanuel, Obama's offering an olive branch to the DLC: I know some of us see this as a bad thing, but the code here is very clear--it's a first step toward fully uniting the party and consolidating power. You can't unite the country if your own party is still divided. Also note Sun Tzu's maxim: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. As long as Emanuel works for Obama, he won't be working against him as a DLC rabble-rouser in Congress. Also note that Chiefs of Staff tend to have short life expectancies (on the job, I mean): it's a rare human being who can stick it out for two full terms.

[Unsane]

1. Obama knocked it out of the park by picking Rahm. He is perfect.