Rahm Emanuel Accepts Chief of Staff Post

This past Tuesday, after a long season of campaigning, Barack Obama came out victorious over John McCain in a landslide electoral vote, although the popular vote was relatively close. The day after his victory, Obama did not hesitate and said he was going to begin his selections for his presidential advisors. Two days after the election, this proved to be true when Obama chose democratic representative Rahm Emanuel from Illinois to be the Chief of Staff. Obama said he has "deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration." Emanuel was his first appointment because the Chief of Staff is vital to a president for accomplishing goals on an agenda, and Emanuel is good at getting things done according to president elect Obama. Earlier this morning, Emanuel informed Obama that he will be stepping down from his seat as a fourth ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives in order to be part of Obama's administration. Emanuel said he wants to "stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics" and he wants to help Obama to bring about the change the country needs, and desires.

Obama's early decisions make me feel optimistic about the future of his administration. To me, this is a sign of fulfilled promises, and a demonstration of good initiative. This shows me that Obama is not going to waste any time, and is dedicated to getting things done. Hopefully, this will not change, and he will begin his job immediately after his inauguration.

Tomorrow morning, Obama will be having his first post-election news conference, and it is said that he is not going to pick any more members of the administration, but he is keeping his focus on the economy, and is eager to begin his work. I think this is a smart move by Obama because the economy may have been the most important issue in the election, and it is the first priority.

Some of Emanuel's Republican colleagues support Obama's choice, while others ridicule it. I think Emanuel is a good choice as Chief of Staff because of his political experience, specifically his work with the Clinton administration. Emanuel wants to unite both parties for a common goal, which is a healthy economy.

This upcoming Monday, Obama will be meeting with President Bush to discuss the problems facing the country, which is a reminder of the problems Obama will inherit. This includes a transition of presidents during war for the first time in four decades, and world leaders are already making ultimatums and pleas to president elect Barack Obama. I feel confident that Obama will handle these situations properly, because part of his foreign policy plan is to use war as a last resort. It also includes an incredibly unstable economy, which plunged yesterday and again this morning.

I found this article to be neither liberal nor conservative, which is why I liked this article. This was informational, and it provided perspectives of both sides.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/07elect.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin