| Author | Message | | Alpha | | Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 8:38 am Post subject: Obama approaches Israeli about White House chief of staff po |
| Obama approaches Israeli about White House chief of staff post (Rahm Emanuel has been associated with AIPAC for years)
Keep in mind that Rahm Emanuel held an Israeli passport and even served with the Israeli military. He also knocked on doors for AIPAC as a student in AIPAC's successful effort to unseat former Republican Congressman Paul Findley just because he was for balance with our Middle East policy which predominantly favors Israel (Congressman Findley later wrote the 'They Dare to Speak Out' book about the power/influence of the pro-Israel lobby - AIPAC and similar - on the US political system and media):
After Hearing Nader Talk about AIPAC, I'm going to Vote for Nader
http://tinyurl.com/6y7se5
Obama approaches lawmaker about White House post
By DAVID ESPO and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers David Espo And Ben Feller, Associated Press Writers 7 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama's campaign has approached Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House chief of staff, officials said Thursday as the marathon presidential race entered its final, frenzied stretch with a Democratic tilt.The disclosure came as Republican John McCain, in need of a comeback, focused on pocketbook issues amid fresh signs of a recession. "Ohio is hurting now, people in Ohio are having trouble staying in their homes, keeping their jobs," he said as he set out on a two-day bus tour of the state."We have got to get this economy out of the ditch."Obama, bidding to become the first black president, also pointed to the government's report that the economy had declined in the third quarter. He told a large crowd in Florida that McCain has been perched "right next to George Bush" for eight years, and consumers are paying a steep price for their partnership.The Democrats who described the Obama campaign's approach to Emanuel spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to be quoted by name. An aide to the congressman, Sarah Feinberg, said in an e-mail that he "has not been contacted to take a job in an administration that does not yet exist. Everyone is focused on Election Day, as they should be."Asked about Emanuel after touching down in Colombia, Mo., on Thursday night, Obama said only: "I'm trying to win an election." Then, referring to campaign manager David Plouffe, he said: "Plouffe is my chief of staff."Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton earlier had said: "There's no news because there's no job to offer."Emanuel is a veteran of President Clinton's White House, and has made a rapid ascent of the House leadership ladder since his election to Congress. He was chairman of the Democratic campaign committee two years ago when the party won a majority for the first time in more than a decade, and he cemented his reputation as a prodigious fundraiser and strong-willed political strategist.Both Obama and McCain have authorized their staffs to begin transition operations in recent weeks — although only one of them will be able to make use of the results. As far as is known, no job offers have been made by either man.Even so, Republicans seized on the disclosure. "Emanuel is among the most vitriolic and partisan people in American politics," said Alex Conant, a Republican National Committee spokesman. "Reports that Obama wants him to be White House chief of staff undercut any claims to unity and bipartisanship, and should alarm every voter."As the race neared an end, opinion polls, early voting statistics and even the candidates' campaign schedules all make it look like the race is Obama's to lose.The Democrat campaigned exclusively in traditionally Republican states during the day, flying from Florida to Virginia to Missouri, in hopes of winning a sizable victory on Tuesday. Polls consistently show him ahead nationally as well as in a half-dozen states that sided with Bush in 2004, and tied in three more.McCain's bus tour of Ohio underscored his political predicament. Bush won the state twice, it has voted for the winner in every presidential election for 20 years, and public and private surveys all give Obama the advantage.Both campaigns invested heavily in turning out early voters.Officials in North Carolina said roughly 30 percent of all registered voters had already cast ballots — about 1.7 million in all — and the Board of Elections ordered the state's 100 counties to keep longer voting hours.Like the opinion polls, the early ballot count favored Obama. Officials in Iowa, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada as well as North Carolina said more Democrats than Republicans had cast ballots, in some cases by lopsided margins.Democrats, increasingly optimistic about regaining the White House, looked forward to padding their majorities in Congress, too, and then tackling the economy and bringing the war in Iraq to an end.But McCain and his aides sought to stoke doubts about one-party government. The campaign challenged Obama to say whether he supports a 25 percent cut in defense spending that is advocated by some in his party In Sarasota, his first stop of the day, Obama tried to take advantage of the day's dreary business news, a government report that consumers had cut back spending so sharply that the economy had shrunk at an annual rate of 0.3 percent in the third quarter. It was the economy's worst showing since the fall of 2001, when a recession in progress was compounded by the impacts of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. "Folks have to watch every penny, tighten their belts," said Obama, contending that the downturn was the result of eight years of Republican economic policies. "If you want to know where John McCain will drive this economy, just look in the rearview mirror. Because when it comes to our economic policies, John McCain has been right next to George Bush. He's been sitting there in the passenger seat, ready to take over, every step of the way," he added. Obama's campaign reinforced the rhetoric with a new television commercial. It showed the faces of Bush and McCain together in a car's rearview mirror as the announcer said, "Look behind you. We can't afford more of the same." In a second ad, Obama touted endorsements from Colin Powell, the former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Warren Buffett, arguably the nation's best known investor. McCain countered with a new ad in Florida in which Gov. Charlie Crist heaped praise on the Republican candidate. "A reformer, a maverick, he'll fight out-of-control spending and keep our taxes down," Crist says. "John McCain never quits and he'll always fight for you." McCain's first stop of the day was in chilly Defiance, Ohio, where he did not dwell on the economic report. Instead, he pointed to Exxon Mobil's announcement of a $14.83 billion profit in the third quarter, a record, and said Obama had voted for legislation that included millions in tax breaks for oil companies. "Sen. Obama voted for billions in corporate giveaways to the oil companies," said McCain in an apparent reference to a 2005 energy bill Bush pushed through Congress. "I voted against it," the Arizona Republican said.
___
Ben Feller reported from Florida and Missouri. Jim Kuhnhenn contributed from Washington, Mike Baker from North Carolina and Mike Glover from Florida.
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http://NEOCONZIONISTTHREAT.COM | |  | | Alpha | | Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:28 am Post subject: |
| Obama reacts to report about Rahm Emanuel approached to be White House chief of staff
By
Lynn Sweet <http://www.suntimes.com/index/sweet.html>
on October 30, 2008 8:50 PM | Permalink
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/obama_reacts_to_report_about_r.html>
| Comments (4)
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/obama_reacts_to_report_about_r.html#comments>
COLUMBIA, MO--Barack Obama was asked Thursday night about an AP report
that Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) has been approached to be a chief of
staff in an Obama White House.
On the tarmac after landing, Washington Times reporter Christina
Bellantoni asked Obama about a possible Emanuel appointment.
"I'm trying to win an election..." Obama said.
Is that a no?
"Plouffe is my chief of staff," Obama said, a reference to his campaign
chief of staff, David Plouffe.
I asked Obama chief strategist David Axelrod--who has also been
Emanuel's media consultant--about the report.
"Don't believe everything you read. I don't," Axelrod said. | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 7:15 pm Post subject: |
| Re: Obama approaches Israeli about White House chief of staff post (Rahm Emanuel)
Rahm Emanuel is the Congressional Representative for my district in
Illinois. The fact that the Obama campaign has approached Rep. Rahm
Emanuel for the position of White House Chief of Staff indicates
Obama's acceptance of a pro-war Democrat for this key position.
Emanuel has supported Bush's funding for the Iraq War and promoted
pro-war Democratic candidates in Illinois. Check out the following
article about Emanuel.
Betsy
October 24, 2006
Emanuel's War Plan for Democrats
The Book of Rahm
By JOHN WALSH
Last week in CounterPunch (1), I wrote that the chair of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Congressman Rahm
Emanuel, had worked hard to guarantee that Democratic candidates in
key toss-up House races were pro-war. In this he was largely
successful, because of the money he commands and the celebrity
politicians who reliably respond to his call, ensuring that 20 of
the 22 Democratic candidates in these districts are pro-war. So the
fix is in for the coming elections.
In 2006, no matter which party controls the House, a majority will
be committed to pursuing the war on Iraq--despite the fact that the
Democratic rank and file and the general voting public oppose the
war by large margins. (I hasten to add that this state of affairs
can be reversed even after the sham election between the two War
Parties.)
What are Emanuel's views on war and peace? Emanuel has just supplied
the answer in the form of a scrawny book co-authored with Bruce
Reed, modestly entitled: The Plan: Big Ideas for America. The
authors obligingly boil each of the eight parts of "The Plan" down
to a single paragraph. The section which embraces all of foreign
policy is entitled "A New Strategy to End the War on Terror," a
heading revealing in itself since "war on terror" is the way the
neocons and the Israeli Lobby currently like to frame the discussion
of foreign policy. Here is the book's summary paragraph with my
comments in parentheses:
"A New Strategy to Win the War on Terror"
("War on Terror," as George Soros points out, is a false metaphor
used by those who would drag us into military adventures not in our
interest or that of humanity.)
"We need to use all the roots of American power to make our country
safe. (He begins by playing on fear.) America must lead the world's
fight against the spread of evil and totalitarianism, but we must
stop trying to win that battle on our own. (Messianic imperialism.)
We should reform and strengthen multilateral institutions for the
twenty-first century, not walk away from them. We need to fortify
the military's "thin green line" around the world by adding to the
U.S. Special Forces and the Marines, and by expanding the U.S. army
by 100,000 more troops. (An even bigger military for the world's
most powerful armed forces, a very militaristic view of the way to
handle the conflicts among nations. What uses does Emanuel have in
mind for those troops?) We should give our troops a new GI Bill to
come home to. (More material incentives to induce the financially
strapped to sign up as cannon fodder.) Finally we must protect our
homeland and civil liberties by creating a new domestic
counterterrorism force like Britain's MI5. (A new domestic spying
operation is an obvious threat to our civil liberties; MI5 holds
secret files on one in 160 adults in Britain along with files on
53,000 organizations.)
There it is straight from the horse's mouth.(2)
How does Emanuel, the man who has screened and chosen the 2006
Democratic candidates for Congress, feel specifically about the war
on Iraq, the number one issue on voters' minds. Emanuel and Reed do
not so much as mention Iraq in their book except in terms of
the "war on terror." Nor does Emanuel mention Iraq on his web site
as among the important issues facing us, quite amazing omission and
one shared by Chuck Schumer who is his equivalent of the Senate
side, chairing the DSCC (Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee).
However a very recent profile in Fortune (9/25/2006), "Rahm Emanuel,
Pitbull Politician," by Washington Bureau chief Nina Easton
notes: "On Iraq, Emanuel has steered clear of the withdraw-now
crowd, preferring to criticize Bush for military failures since the
2003 invasion. 'The war never had to turn out this way,' he told me
at one of his campaign stops. In January 2005, when asked by Meet
the Press's Tim Russert whether he would have voted to authorize the
war-'knowing that there are no weapons of mass destruction'-Emanuel
answered yes. (He didn't take office until after the vote.) 'I still
believe that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to
do, okay?' he added."(3)
When Jack Murtha made his proposal for withdrawal from Iraq, Emanuel
quickly declared that "Jack Murtha went out and spoke for Jack
Murtha." As for Iraq policy, Emanuel added: "At the right time, we
will have a position." That was November, 2005. In June, 2006, it
was obviously time, and Emanuel finally revealed his policy in a
statement on the floor of the House during debate over Iraq,
thus: "The debate today is about whether the American people want to
stay the course with an administration and a Congress that has
walked away from its obligations or pursue a real strategy for
success in the war on terror. We cannot achieve the end of victory
and continue to sit and watch, stand pat, stay put, status quo and
that is the Republican policy. Democrats are determined to take the
fight to the enemy." The refrain is familiar; more troops are the
means and victory in Iraq is the goal.
The war on Iraq benefited Israel by laying waste a country seen to
be one of its major adversaries. Emanuel's commitment to Israel (4)
and his Congressional service to it are not in doubt. The most
recent evidence was his attack on the U.S. puppet Prime Minister of
Iraq, Nouri al Maliki, because Maliki had labeled Israel's attack on
Lebanon as an act of "aggression." Emanuel called on Maliki to
cancel his address to Congress; and he was joined by his close
friend and DSCC counterpart, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who asked; "Which
side is he (Maliki) on when it comes to the war on terror?" In terms
of retired Senator Fritz Holling's statement that Congress is
Israeli occupied territory, Rahm Emanuel must be considered one of
the occupying troops. And he certainly is a major cog in the Israel
Lobby as defined by Mearsheimer and Walt. Nor is the idea that the
Lobby exists and has tremendous influence on Middle East policy any
longer a taboo in the minds of the general populace. According to a
poll just carried out by Zogby International for CNI (5), 39% of the
American public "agree" or "somewhat agree" that "the work of the
Israel lobby on Congress and the Bush administration has been a key
factor for going to war in Iraq and now confronting Iran." A similar
number, 40%, "strongly disagreed" or "somewhat disagreed" with this
position. Some 20% of the public were not sure.
But in some respects, Emanuel is a mysterious fellow, as evidenced
by his biography, which is readily available on Wikipedia and in the
piece in Fortune (3). But there are a few things missing or not
fully explained. First, as is often pointed out, Emanuel's physician
father was an Israeli émigré; but, according to Leon Hadar, he also
worked during the 1940s with the notorious Irgun, which was labeled
as a terrorist organization by the British authorities.(6) Perhaps
Rahm's current interest in terrorism was first kindled at his
father's Irgun knee.
Second, during the 1991 Gulf War, Emanuel was a civilian volunteer
in Israel, "rust-proofing brakes on an army base in northern
Israel." (Wikipedia, New Republic). This is peculiar on two counts.
Here the U.S. goes to war with Iraq, but Emanuel, a U.S. citizen,
volunteers not for his country, but for Israel. Moreover, here is a
well-connected Illinois political figure with a father who had been
in the Irgun, but he is assigned to "rust-proof brakes" on "an army
base." Maybe.
Third, immediately upon his return from his desert sojourn, Emanuel
at once became a major figure in the Clinton campaign "who wowed the
team from the start, opening a spigot on needed campaign funds."(3)
How did he do that after being isolated overseas, and with no
experience in national politics? Fourth, after leaving the Clinton
White House, he decided that he needed some accumulated wealth
and "security" if he were to stay in politics. So he went to work
for Bruce Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor and Wall Street
financier.
According to Easton, "Over a 2 1/2-year period he helped broker
deals-often using political connections-for Wasserstein Perella.
According to congressional financial disclosures, he earned more
than $18 million during that period. His deals included Unicom's
merger with Peco Energy and venture fund GTCR Golder Rauner's
purchase of SBC subsidiary SecurityLink. But friends say his
compensation also benefited from two sales of the Wasserstein firm
itself, first to Dresdner Bank and then to Allianz AG." Again for a
newcomer to haul in $18 million in two years is almost miraculous.
How did he do it? Next Emanuel won a seat in Congress in 2002, and
by 2006 he was chair of the DCCC. Another near miraculous rise.
But Emanuel and his fellow hawks may yet fail to get their way.
Major figures among the rulers of U.S. empire, and their well-
compensated advisors, from James Baker to Jimmy Carter to Zbigniew
Brzezinski to Mearsheimer and Walt, see disaster looming unless the
neocons of both War Parties with their dual loyalties to the U.S.
and Israel are brought to heel. Second and more important, the
people are fed up with the war on Iraq and wary of other wars the
hawks like Emanuel have planned for us. The politicians who win
office, whether Rove's Republicans or Emanuel's Democrats, will have
to deal with this rising tide of anger or risk losing their
sinecures. That risk is offset by the machinations of Emanuel and
others to guarantee that there is no genuine opposition party or
movement. And that lack of a real opposition is a problem we must
solve.
John Walsh can be reached at john.endwar@gmail.com.
(1) http://www.counterpunch.com/walsh10142006.html
(2) Emanuel and Reed also refer approvingly to Peter Beinart, the
neocon warrior theoretician for the Democrats, warehoused at Marty
Peretz's The New Republic, thus: "In his recent book, The Good
Fight, Peter Beinart, explains why a tough new national security
policy is as essential to the future of of progressive politics as a
united front against totalitarianism and communism was to the New
Deal and the Great Society." (This chapter of The Plan is
titled: "Who Sunk My Battleship." Needless to say, the battleship in
question is not the USS Liberty.) Emanuel and Reed also like Anne-
Marie Slaughter's proposal for "a new division of labor in which the
United Nations takes on economic and social assistance and an
expanded (!) NATO takes over the burden of collective security." In
other words the UN can do the charity work while the US-dominated
NATO is policeman to the world. Quite a vision. And their call for
more troops is shared by the Republican neocons, with William
Kristol's Weekly Standard calling for 250,000 more for the army this
past week.
(3)http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/17/
(4) http://www.radioislam.org/islam/english/jewishp/usa/rahmzion.htm
(5) http://www.cnionline.org/learn/polls/czandlobby/index2.htm
(6) J. Palestine Studies, 23: 84(1994). | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject: |
| Who is Rahm Emanuel, Obama's prospective Chief of Staff?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/ | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:37 am Post subject: |
| Time for the real Republicans to take back a party in tatters from the neocon Jews
Obama makes history; turns to sobering challenges
By TERENCE HUNT, Associated Press Writer Terence Hunt, Associated Press Writer 2 mins ago
WASHINGTON – His name etched in history as America's first black president, Barack Obama turned from the jubilation of victory to the sobering challenge of leading a nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global uncertainty.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep," Obama cautioned.
Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level, Obama smashed through racial barriers and easily defeated Republican John McCain to become the first African-American destined to sit in the Oval Office, America's 44th president. He was the first Democrat to receive more than 50 percent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America," Obama told a victory rally of 125,000 people jammed into Chicago's Grant Park.
Obama scored an Electoral College landslide that redrew America's political map. He won states that reliably voted Republican in presidential elections, like Indiana and Virginia, which hadn't supported the Democratic candidate in 44 years. Ohio and Florida, key to Bush's twin victories, also went for Obama, as did Pennsylvania, which McCain had deemed crucial for his election hopes.
With just 76 days until the inauguration, Obama is expected to move quickly to begin assembling a White House staff and selecting Cabinet nominees.
Campaign officials said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel was the front-runner to be Obama's chief of staff. The advisers spoke on a condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
Democrats expanded their majority in both houses of Congress. In the Senate, Democrats ousted Republicans Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and captured seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado. Still, the GOP blocked a complete rout, holding the Kentucky seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and a Mississippi seat once held by Trent Lott — two top Democratic targets.
In the House, with fewer than a dozen races still undecided, Democrats captured Republican-held seats in the Northeast, South and West and were on a path to pick up as many as 20 seats.
When Obama and running mate Joe Biden take their oath of office on Jan. 20, Democrats will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.
"It is not a mandate for a party or ideology but a mandate for change," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said: "Tonight the American people have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America."
After the longest and costliest campaign in U.S. history, Obama was propelled to victory by voters dismayed by eight years of George W. Bush's presidency and deeply anxious about rising unemployment and home foreclosures and a battered stock market that has erased trillions of dollars of savings for Americans.
Six in 10 voters picked the economy as the most important issue facing the nation in an Associated Press exit poll. None of the other top issues — energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care — was selected by more than one in 10. Obama has promised to cut taxes for most Americans, get the United States out of Iraq and expand health care, including mandatory coverage for children.
Obama acknowledged that repairing the economy and dealing with problems at home and overseas will not happen quickly. "We may not get there in one year or even in one term," he said. "But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there."
McCain conceded defeat shortly after 11 p.m. EST, telling supporters outside the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, "The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly."
"This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight," McCain said. "These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
Obama faces a staggering list of problems, and he mentioned some of them in his victory speech. "Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century." He spoke of parents who worry about paying their mortgages and medical bills.
"There will be setbacks and false starts," Obama said. "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem."
The son of a Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, the 47-year-old Obama has had a startlingly rapid rise, from lawyer and community organizer to state legislator and U.S. senator, now just four years into his first term. He is the first senator elected to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
Bush called Obama with congratulations at 11:12 p.m. EST. "I promise to make this a smooth transition," the president said. "You are about to go on one of the great journeys of life. Congratulations and go enjoy yourself." He invited Obama and his family to visit the White House soon.
Bush planned to make a statement about the election at midmorning Wednesday in the Rose Garden.
With most U.S. precincts tallied, the popular vote was 51.9 percent for Obama and 46.8 percent for McCain. But the count in the Electoral College was lopsided in Obama's favor over McCain — 349 to 147 as of early Wednesday, with three states still to be decided. Those were North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.
Obama won California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
McCain had Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. He also won at least 3 of Nebraska's five electoral votes, with the other two in doubt.
Almost six in 10 women supported Obama nationwide, while men leaned his way by a narrow margin, according to interviews with voters. Just over half of whites supported McCain, giving him a slim advantage in a group that Bush carried overwhelmingly in 2004.
The results of the AP survey were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in telephone interviews over the past week for early voters.
In terms of turnout, America voted in record numbers. It looks like 136.6 million Americans will have voted for president this election, based on 88 percent of the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 64.1 percent turnout rate.
"That would be the highest turnout rate that we've seen since 1908," which was 65.7 percent, McDonald said early Wednesday. | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 6:38 pm Post subject: |
| Israel fears Obama may make peace with Iran
Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2008, 10:10 AM
Don't hold your breath with the AIPAC operative (Rahm Emanuel) as Obama's chief of staff!
What happens if President Bush and/or Israel initiates the attack on Iran before he leaves office on January 20th, 2009 (it might even take place before the Bushehr nuclear reactor bcomes operational as it is supposed to by the end of this year):
Israel fears Obama may make peace with Iran
http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=74421§ionid=3510203
http://NEOCONZIONISTTHREAT.COM | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:05 pm Post subject: |
| http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3618375,00.html
Obama offers chief of staff job to son of Israeli immigrant
Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel served in IDF, speaks little Hebrew. George Stephanopoulos: Obama told associates that Emanuel would 'have his back'
Yitzhak Benhorin
Published: 11.05.08, 20:00 / Israel News
US president-elect Barack Obama has offered Illinois Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the son of an Israeli immigrant and an American Jew, the crucial position of White House chief of staff, ABC News reported Wednesday.
Chicago-born Emanuel, 49, served in the Israel Defense Forces and even speaks a little Hebrew. His father, Benjamin, is an Israeli-born doctor. His mother, Martha, is an American Jew who works for a Chicago civil rights organization.
As a child, Emanuel received a Jewish education at a conservative school and spoke Hebrew with his father at home.
According to ABC, "the sharp-tongued, sharp-elbowed, keenly intelligent veteran of the Clinton White House is said to have ambitions to some day be Speaker of the House, but he also has a keen sense of duty."
ABC's George Stephanopoulos was quoted as saying that Obama likes the fact that Emanuel "knows policy, knows politics, knows Capitol Hill" and has told associates that Emanuel would "have his back."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama picks Clinton alum Emanuel chief of WH staff
By DAVID ESPO and NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writers David Espo And Nedra Pickler, Associated Press Writers 11 mins ago
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama pivoted quickly to begin filling out his new administration on Wednesday, selecting hard-charging Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff while aides stepped up the pace of transition work that had been cloaked in pre-election secrecy.
Several Democrats confirmed that Emanuel had been offered the job. While it was not clear he had accepted, a rejection would amount to an unlikely public snub of the new president-elect within hours of an electoral college landslide.
With hundreds of jobs to fill and only 10 weeks until Inauguration Day, Obama and his transition team confronted a formidable task complicated by his anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.
The official campaign Web Site said no political appointees would be permitted to work on "regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
But almost exactly one year ago, on Nov. 3, 2007, candidate Obama went considerably further than that while campaigning in South Carolina. "I don't take a dime of their money, and when I am president, they won't find a job in my White House," he said of lobbyists at the time.
Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists figure as potential appointees for presidents of both parties.
On the morning after making history, the man elected the first black president had breakfast with his wife and two daughters at their Chicago home, went to a nearby gym and visited his downtown offices.
Aides said he planned no public appearances until later in the week, when he has promised to hold a news conference.
As president-elect, he begins receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials Thursday.
In offering the post of White House chief of staff to Emanuel, Obama turned to a fellow Chicago politician with a far different style from his own, a man known for his bluntness as well as his single-minded determination.
Emanuel was a political and policy aide in Bill Clinton's White House. Leaving that, he turned to investment banking, then won a Chicago-area House seat six years ago. In Congress, he moved quickly into the leadership. As chairman of the Democratic campaign committee in 2006, he played an instrumental role in restoring his party to power after 12 years in the minority.
Emanuel maintained neutrality during the long primary battle between Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, not surprising given his long-standing ties to the former first lady and his Illinois connections with Obama.
The day after the election there already was jockeying for Cabinet appointments.
Several Democrats said Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who won a new six-year term on Tuesday, was angling for secretary of state. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss any private conversations.
Kerry's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, disputed the reports. "It's not true. It's ridiculous," she said in an interview.
Announcement of the transition team came in a written statement from the Obama camp.
The group is headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under former President Clinton; Pete Rouse, who has been Obama's chief of staff in the Senate, and Valerie Jarrett, a friend of the president-elect and campaign adviser.
Several Democrats described a sprawling operation well under way. Officials had kept deliberations under wraps to avoid the appearance of overconfidence in the weeks leading to Tuesday's election.
They said the group was stocked with longtime associates of Obama, as well as veterans of Clinton's White House.
Quite apart from transition issues, Obama's status as an incumbent member of Congress presents issues unseen since 1960, when John F. Kennedy moved from the Senate to the White House.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a postelection session in two weeks, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a news conference Wednesday to reinforce her call for quick action on a bill to stimulate the economy.
That places Obama in uncharted territory — a president-elect, presumably first among equals among congressional Democrats. Yet his and their ability to enact legislation depends almost entirely until Inauguration Day on President Bush's willingness to sign it.
Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, was elected to a new six-year term from Delaware on Tuesday and he must resign before he can be sworn in as vice president. Democrats are certain to hold his seat, following Jack Markell's election as governor.
There has been intense speculation that Biden's son, Beau Biden, is interested in ascending to the seat. But he is serving a one-year stint in Iraq as a member of the National Guard. In the interim, outgoing Gov. Ruth Ann Minner is seen among many Democrats as a likely appointee to hold the office until an election in 2010.
Obama also must resign his Senate seat before he can be sworn in as the 44th president. Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will pick a replacement.
____
Nedra Pickler reported from Chicago. AP writers Liz Sidoti and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed from Washington and Glen Johnson from Boston.
Last edited by Alpha on Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:51 pm; edited 1 time in total | | | | Alpha | | | | Alpha | | Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: |
| Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel @ AIPAC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_yA8J-oGQk
Keep in mind that Emanuel knocked on doors for AIPAC as a student in AIPAC's successful effort to unseat former Republican Congressman Paul Findley just because he was for balance with our Middle East policy which predominantly favors Israel (Congressman Findley later wrote the 'They Dare to Speak Out' book about the power/influence of the pro-Israel lobby - AIPAC and similar - on the US political system and media). | | | | Alpha | | | | | ©2002-2009 WarWithoutEnd.co.uk |
