Rep. Emanuel accepts White House job as transition begins
WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama, who will make his first visit to the White House next week as president-elect, on Thursday named Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.
Obama said in a statement that he picked the Illinois congressman, a former Clinton White House aide, because "no one I know is better at getting things done."
Emanuel, the hard-driving architect of the huge Democratic gains in the House in 2006, had served as No. 4 leader in the House power structure.
The president-elect called Emanuel his "good friend" and praised his "deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our Administration."
In a statement directed to Obama, Emanuel said he was accepting the job "for one simple reason — like the record amount of voters who cast their ballot over the last month, I want to do everything I can to help deliver the change America needs."
He also issued a pre-emptive strike against Republican members of Congress who might be wary of his reputation as a hard-charging, take-no-prisoners politician.
"We often disagree, but I respect their motives," he said. "Now is a time for unity, and Mr. President-elect, I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics, and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose."
Even before the official announcement, Republicans reacted quickly and sharply to word of his appointment. House Republican leader John Boehner, of Ohio, called it "an ironic choice for a President-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center."
Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said Obama's move "undermines his promise to 'heal the divides'." He called Emanuel "a partisan insider who played a lead role in breaking Washington."
"The White House needs a chief of staff —not a chief campaigner like Emanuel. Our nation will be ill-served if Obama runs the White House the way 'Rahmbo' ran the Democratic Congress."
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