Rahm Emanuel as Obama's Chief of Staff...

"Mr. Emanuel, who served on the White House staff when President Clinton ran into these types of difficulties during his first two years in office, is the one member of the Democratic Congressional leadership who understands the perils of over-reaching," says the New York Times. "Just as important, he is the type of political brawler capable of pushing back hard at his former colleagues who would try to yank President Obama further toward the left end of the political and policy spectrum. Just as Mr. Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his running mate filled in the gaps in his own resume in the areas of foreign policy and national security, the street fighter in Mr. Emanuel effectively complements the more conciliatory impulses of the new president as White House chief of staff."