IF it's true that Rahm may be hitting the road soon, who would you like to see

[gateley]

as COS? (Besides Michael Moore :7)

AND -- and idea who Obama would choose?

[Skink]

1. Swamp Rat

[gateley]

2. Good choice. I'll e-mail the WH immediately. nt

[cliffordu]

9. Well...

:rofl:

Great choice!!!

[Marr]

3. Howard Dean.

And while I'm wishing for things, I'd like it to rain candy tomorrow.

I doubt that Rahm is going anywhere, but if he does leave, Obama will replace him with another corporate hack.

[gateley]

5. God, I'd love to see Dean SOMEWHERE where he has the President's ear - Obama

could only benefit.

I'm not so sure about another Rahm -- I'm thinking Obama may really be listening to our complaints about many of his choices. I hope. I was encouraged about Elizabeth Warren, and I'm just giddy that Summers is leaving.

[applegrove]

34. That would be really interesting.

[SoCalDem]

4. Won't matter

Whomever he chooses will be raked over the coals, and deemed by the media, to be unworthy, ignorant & corrupt:(

[gateley]

8. We shouldn't care what the media thinks or reports, what's important is that

he's loyal to We the People and to Obama. To actually help Obama achieve OUR goals.

[SoCalDem]

10. That precisely why I don't care about his choice..

He'll pick whomever he wants:)

[gateley]

14. Of course. You're right.

:hi:

Just hope he remembers the outcry from the left when he chose Rahm, and will hopefully choose someone a little more progressive.

[SoCalDem]

15. I htink he was probably surprised to find out that so many people did not like Rahm

It's human nature to expect other to like our friends too:)

[Maccagirl]

6. My wish is that Mr Potty Mouth take his evil karma with him

and disappear. 99.9% of the population would be an improvement but evidently you have to be a complete douchebag to be considered "effective" in D.C.

[gateley]

12. I don't care what DC deems "effective", we need someone there who is good for

us and good for the country. S/he can be another potty mouth, but I'm hoping for someone less calculating (or something - not sure of the word I'm looking for).

[laughingliberal]

7. A lot of good people from whom to choose. How 'bout Obey? He's retiring from Congress. nt

[gateley]

22. I'm embarrassed to say I don't know who that is... nt

[laughingliberal]

30. Here:

I'm sure he's ready for a break but he'd be a good one. An unabashed liberal whose won 25 elections? We need some like him around the President.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/us/politics/06obey.html

In Blow to Democrats, Influential Congressman Will Retire After Four Decades
By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY
Published: May 5, 2010

WASHINGTON — Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, the third-most senior member of the House and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that he was retiring after four decades in Congress, a decision that reflected both a generational shift and the difficult political environment for Democrats.

“I’m ready to turn the page,” said Mr. Obey, 71. He told lawmakers and reporters crammed into the committee room where he has held sway for so long that he was “bone tired,” before adding, “And frankly, I think that my district is ready for somebody new, to make a fresh start.”

Mr. Obey, an occasionally cantankerous figure and die-hard liberal who spearheaded last year’s economic stimulus legislation, was facing a competitive election in his sprawling district, with Republicans trying to show they could threaten senior Democrats. He brusquely dismissed the suggestion that he could not win re-election.

“I’ve won 25 elections. Does anybody really think I don’t know how to win another one?” Mr. Obey said, eliciting a wave of applause from Democratic lawmakers and staff members, the second of three during his 45-minute announcement. “Or, for that matter, has anybody ever seen me walk away from a fight in my life?” <snip>

[gateley]

31. Thanks -- I like him! :-) nt

[Scuba]

32. David Obey would be awesome!!!!

[Radical Activist]

11. Valerie Jarrett

That's my guess.
I don't have any strong feelings about who Obama chooses.

[Chipper Chat]

13. Rachel Maddow

:bounce:

[AnArmyVeteran]

18. Great pick!

[gateley]

21. Wow -- the BEST. And she should be the Press Secretary, too! nt

[AnArmyVeteran]

16. Ralph Nader so we would have one progressive advising Obama.

Okay, I know I'm going to get completely slammed for suggesting Nader but he would be great with a position of power in this administration because no one seems to be speaking out for the people.

[librechik]

17. Howard Dean

and he will choose some anonymous douche with Republican dreams.

[Bitwit1234]

19. I would love to be...tell you one thing folks I would urge him

to fight the common butt republicans NOT TO GIVE IN ONE INCH and take the side of the real Americans and not corporations. And I would yell it loud and clear as long as I would be near him.

[gateley]

23. That's what WE want -- so send in your resume now! nt

[Warpy]

20. Anybody but Rahm

he's been too effective a gatekeeper, making sure the president only hears the DLC/Wall Street Democrat side of any issue and blocking progressives. He's obviously been leaning on Gibbs a lot, the press secretary who's in the adjacent office. He's abrasive and he has consistently disparaged the Democratic Party base.

I will be so delighted to see him out of that particular job, I don't much care who replaces him. It would be nice to see a centrist like Dr. Dean, but a less ideologically driven DLCer would be acceptable.

[gateley]

26. Very well put -- a gatekeeper keeping Obama in the bubble. Yes, I have to

agree, anybody but Rahm. And I think Obama is aware, now, of our disappointment in may of his choices and may be listening (I'm thinking Elizabeth Warren may indicate that).

[Ozymanithrax]

24. The job description calls for a monumental SOB, a prick extraordinaire...

so he will have to go a long way to find someone as qualified in those two areas as Rahm.

Realistically, I think he needs someone who knows Capitol Hill, Tom Daschel, though I don't know if he actually has the two required attributes.

[gateley]

27. Why is that (or are you being facetious)? You can be strong without being an SOB,

right? Give me a minute, I'll think of somebody... :7

[Ozymanithrax]

28. The Chief of Staff is supposed the arm breaker that goes to the Hill...

and pushes the Presidents agenda. They often come from Congress or the Senate, because they need to know people and know where the bodies are buried. They have to be tough, because they deal with the meanest SOB's on the Hill. A collegial intellectual would be chewed up and spit out.

I've heard calls for Dean, but he is an outsider and liked about as much as a skunk at a perfume convention. I don't think he and Obama get along.

These assets are required especially because Obama is not a ball breaker. He is, in my view, very much the community organizer that tries to get lots of disparate groups together to work on a project. This was an asset when he ran, but people on the left don't like it now, and people on the right run rough shod over his agenda.

[gateley]

29. Thank you - great explanation. Too bad Biden's already got a gig. :-) nt

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

25. I just can't believe Rahm believes he'll become mayor of Chicago

X-Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez

[Tatiana]

33. I like Obey. Or Robert Wexler, who is a former member of Congress.

Wexler certainly has the backbone needed for the job.

[laughingliberal]

35. I never thought about Wexler. He would be great! Strong progressive & not afraid of anyone. nt

[Mudoria]

36. Rahm being there or not won't change a thing...

He or someone else will still do what the boss tells him or her to do. And the boss is Obama.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

37. I'm Pretty Sure That Howard Dean Is Our Karl Rove

Why he couldn't work any of that magic on his OWN campaign back in '04, I have no idea, but he certainly does seem to have an uncanny ability to be able to turn chicken shit into chicken salad. If I were Obama, I'd want that guy advising me as much as possible.

[stevedeshazer]

38. Byron Dorgan