Update: McCain's ally Lindsey Graham praises the choice. Rahm Emanuel, a tough pragmatic feather ruffler, has accepted the position of Obama's chief of staff.
What does the chief of staff do?
Wiki:The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President. Some individuals who have held the position, including Sherman Adams, have been dubbed "The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington" due to the powerful nature of the job.[1]History:
The current White House Chief of Staff is Joshua B. Bolten, who has served in this position since April 14, 2006. The next White House Chief of Staff will be Rahm Emanuel under Barack Obama. He accepted this position on November 6, 2008.
The duties of the White House Chief of Staff vary greatly from one administration to another. However, he/she is responsible for overseeing the actions of the White House staff, managing the President's schedule, and deciding who is allowed to meet with the President. Because of these duties, the Chief of Staff has at various times been dubbed "The Gatekeeper" and "The co-President".Duties:
The roles of the Chief of Staff are both managerial and advisory and can include the following duties, depending on the President's style of conducting business:
Managerial
Select key White House staff and supervise them
Structure the White House staff system
Control the flow of people into the Oval Office
Manage the flow of information
Advisory
Advise the President on issues of politics, policy and management issues
Protect the interests of the President
Negotiate with Congress, other member of the executive branch, and extragovernmental political groups to implement the President's agenda
CNN: After leaving the Clinton White House, Emanuel was an investment banker on Wall Street and later was elected to the House of Representatives from a heavily Democratic Chicago district. He quickly rose to become the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House.
It is Emanuel's combination of experiences -- plus his strong personal relationship with Obama -- that would make him a strong chief of staff, said CNN political analyst Paul Begala, a fellow Clinton veteran.
"He has spent more time in the White House than President-elect Obama has. That matters a lot. It is a special place with its own rhythms," Begala said.
"But, maybe, most importantly, he's got the relationship. He has known Barack and Michelle Obama for a number of years."
"Rahm is high energy. He's direct. He's a tough-minded pragmatist. So I think the years have been good to him in that regard," McLarty said. "I think the high-energy directness will serve him well.
"Rahm, like a lot of us, made mistakes, but he quickly corrected them."
However, the lawmaker's direct style has ruffled a number of feathers in Washington, and Emanuel is known as one of the toughest partisan fighters on Capitol Hill.
After reports that Emanuel had agreed to be Obama's chief of staff on Thursday, the top Republican in the House, Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, questioned the president-elect's pick.
"This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center," Boehner said.
Rahm Emanuel
