President-elect Barack Obama ain’t wastin’ no time!

Today Obama announced his first staff choice as Rham Emanuel who will fill the position of White House Chief of Staff;  a position often called “The co-President” or “The Enforcer” because of the level of responsibility required of that position.   Obama’s choice is both brilliant and concerning.

First, the brilliance:

• Emanuel knows his shit. He was a senior adviser for the Clinton administration from 1993-1998 (The guy knows all the secret passageways in the White House already).
• He was a leading strategist in the unsuccessful attempt at universal health care by Hillary Clinton.  This will come in handy when (if) Obama makes health care reform an actual priority during his term in office.
• His father immigrated to Chicago from Israel making Rahm a semi-ambassador to Israel.  This will be an advantage when (if) those peace talks pick up again between Palestine and Israel.

Now the concerns:

• Emanuel was a senior adviser for the Clinton administration from 1993-1998.  (Yeah, I know it’s in the “brilliance” column too.   My point is will Emanuel truely be an agent of change having already spent so much time in the Clinton administration?)
• Emanuel held a seat on the Freddie Mac board in 2000 and 2001, earning him over $260,000 amid company scandal.  This isn’t exactly a good time to have your name associated with that scum sucking bunch.
• His Israeli-American father, Benjamin Emanuel, is said to have been a former member of Irgun; a militant Zionist group.   I think Israeli’s will appreciate it as national heritage and pride and may be advantageous to gain further Israeli support but Americans, on the other hand, Americans love a scandal and may associate him with radicalism.

My personal thoughts are that Obama made a bold choice and decent choice. A choice in Emanuel guarantees a strong partner in the White House and one who can bring a massive amount of experience to the table both domestically and internationally.

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