An Insidery Change Agent

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http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/11/an-insidery-change-agent.html

An Insidery Change Agent

By Craig Crawford | November 7, 2008 12:00 PM


Barack Obama's formula for making change might seem a bit contradictory, but it makes sense. His two most important personnel choices -- Joe Biden for Vice President and Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff -- signal an intention to change Washington from the inside. Both know how the game is played up and down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Unless, of course, this all means that Obama is signaling to Washington that there won't be much change -- but I doubt that. If you want to blow up a building, after all, it helps to at least consult someone who has seen the blueprints.

An associate of Obama's when he was in the Illinois Legislature once told me that he is keenly aware of what he doesn't know about being president. That is a good sign. Because presidents who think they know it all usually wind up in a world of trouble.

Presidents like Jimmy Carter, who approached Washington with a chip on his shoulder and a bevy of aides who had even less experience in the nation's capital than he had, soon found themselves undermined by a city that is well schooled in the business of tearing down an unfriendly White House.

Changing this city from the inside is about the only way to get it done.