Tag: White House Chief of Staff

I found it more than a little curious that one of the first appointments Obama wants to make to his staff is that of Chief of Staff pick Rahm Emanuel.  The Obama campaign said it wanted change and no one wants to see change more than people in the Middle East.  The Palestinian/Israeli conflict has essentially gone ignored by the Bush Administration, but the killing between the two tribes has not abated at all.  Now comes Emanuel, the son of a former Irgun gang member who as an American citizen volunteered to serve in the Israeli military during the time of the first Gulf war when Itzhak Shamir was prime minister who will serve as chief of staff for Obama.  That means he controls the information the President receives, who gives it, etc.  It’s a very powerful position. Let’s hope his appointment is not Obama’s version of ‘neo-con lite’.