2002-03-20
Former Clinton aide wins tight race for Democratic nod for Congress
(APW_ENG_20020320.0014)
1) Former Clinton aide Rahm Emanuel won the Democratic nomination for Congress after a bitter campaign against former state Rep. Nancy Kaszak on Chicago's North Side.
2) Kaszak's campaign said she conceded after early returns showed her behind Emanuel, who is among a number of former Clinton administration officials running for office this year.
3) ``I feel great, but most importantly I'm humbled and honored,'' Emanuel said. ``It's moments like this that you remember all the good and all the bad but also all the strength you got from people and why you did this.''
4) With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Emanuel had 45,836 votes, or 50 percent. Kaszak had 35,026 votes, or 39 percent. The other six candidates, including another former Clinton aide, Pete Dagher, trailed far behind.
5) Emanuel is expected to have a big edge in November against any Republican in the heavily Democratic district. The winner in the fall will succeed Democratic Rep. Rod Blagojevich, who decided to give up the seat to run for governor.
6) Emanuel, a 42-year-old investment banker who has made millions since he left the White House, called on Clinton for fund-raising and campaign help. Emanuel also received endorsements from Mayor Richard M. Daley and other political heavyweights.
7) Kaszak, 51, a lawyer and longtime community activist, tried to portray Emanuel as an outsider from Washington, saying he just recently moved into the district and doesn't understand the needs and concerns of its residents like she does.
8) Two weeks ago, the race was marred by accusations of anti-Semitism. A Polish supporter of Kaszak suggested that Emanuel, who is Jewish, was a citizen of Israel and had served two years in the Israeli army. He also called Emanuel a ``millionaire carpetbagger who knows nothing about our values.''
9) The comments about Emanuel's supposed Israeli background are not true and Kaszak repudiated the remarks. But Emanuel contended the remarks reflected a ``whispering campaign'' of anti-Semitism against him in the district.
10) He said he ultimately won on ``the ideas I ran on.''
11) ``I am proud of the campaign I ran and I'm proud of the way the voters responded,'' he said.
12) Kaszak had the backing of Emily's List, a national group that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights. The group also criticized Emanuel for his work on passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and as an investment banker making millions of dollars brokering mergers and acquisitions.
13) Emanuel and Dagher were among about a dozen veterans of the Clinton administration running for prominent political offices this year, including former Labor Secretary Robert Reich (Massachusetts governor), ex-Attorney General Janet Reno (Florida governor) and former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles (U.S. Senate, North Carolina).
14) Emanuel and Dagher were the first of the group to face voters.



2008-10-30
Obama approaches lawmaker about White House post
(APW_ENG_20081030.1505)
1) Barack Obama's campaign has approached Illinois congressman . Rahm Emanuel about possibly serving as White House chief of staff, officials said Thursday, looking ahead as the marathon presidential race entered its final, frenzied stretch with a Democratic tilt.
2) The Democrats who described the contact with Emanuel spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to be quoted by name.
3) Emanuel worked in President Bill Clinton's White House and is now a member of the House Democratic leadership. An aide, 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."
4) Both Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, have authorized aides in recent weeks to begin work on a transition to power, but only one of them will be in a position to make use of the results.



2008-11-05
Officials: Emanuel offered chief of staff job
(APW_ENG_20081105.1243)
1) Democratic officials say Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has been offered the job of chief of staff in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
2) It is not known whether Emanuel has accepted.
3) The disclosure came one day after Obama was elected president in an electoral college landslide. He takes office Jan. 20 as the first black president, and the 44th overall.
4) Obama is a former aide in Bill Clinton's White House. He was re-elected to Congress on Tuesday.


Officials: Emanuel offered chief of staff job
(APW_ENG_20081105.1247)
1) Democratic officials say Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel has been offered the job of chief of staff in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
2) It is not known whether Emanuel has accepted.
3) The disclosure came one day after Obama was elected president in an electoral college landslide. He takes office Jan. 20 as the first black president, and the 44th overall.
4) Emanuel is a former aide in Bill Clinton's White House. He was re-elected to Congress on Tuesday.


Officials: Emanuel offered chief of staff job
(APW_ENG_20081105.1257)
1) President-elect Barack Obama chose Illinois lawmaker Rahm Emanual to be his White House chief of staff, his first selection for the new administration, Democratic officials said Wednesday.
2) If Emanuel accepts, the congressman would return to the White House where he served as a political and policy adviser to President Bill Clinton.
3) Several Democrats also said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry was actively seeking appointment as secretary of State in the new administration.
4) Two campaign officials said the appointment of a chief of staff was not expected for at least a day.
5) Instead, they said Obama would issue a written statement announcing that his transition team would be headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under 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.
6) The officials who described the developments did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss events not yet announced.


Officials: Emanuel offered chief of staff job
(APW_ENG_20081105.1304)
1) President-elect Barack Obama chose Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicago politician, to be his White House chief of staff, his first selection for the new administration, Democratic officials said Wednesday.
2) If Emanuel accepts, he would return to the White House where he served as a political and policy adviser to President Bill Clinton. Emanuel is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus Chair.
3) Several Democrats also said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, was actively seeking appointment as secretary of State in the new administration.
4) Two campaign officials said the appointment of a chief of staff was not expected for at least a day.
5) Instead, they said Obama would issue a written statement announcing that his transition team would be headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under 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.
6) The officials who described the developments did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss events not yet announced.
7) On the day after Obama's election, several prominent Democrats described uncertainty about the extent to which lobbyists would be invited to work in the new administration. As a candidate, Obama frequently said lobbyists would not run his White House.
8) That left unclear whether they would be permitted to serve, and if so, in what posts and under what conditions.
9) The president-elect had breakfast with his wife and daughters, then left his house for a workout at a nearby gym. Aides said he intended to visit his campaign headquarters later in the day to thank his staff.
10) Obama has 10 weeks to build a new administration. But his status as an incumbent member of Congress presents issues unseen since 1960, when Democrat John F. Kennedy moved from the Senate to the White House.
11) The Senate is scheduled to hold a post-election 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.
12) 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 George W. Bush's willingness to sign it.


Officials: Emanuel offered chief of staff job
(APW_ENG_20081105.1658)
1) President-elect Barack Obama chose Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicago politician, to be his White House chief of staff, his first selection for the new administration, Democratic officials said Wednesday.
2) If Emanuel accepts, he would return to the White House where he served as a political and policy adviser to President Bill Clinton. Emanuel is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus Chair.
3) Several Democrats also said Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, was actively seeking appointment as secretary of State in the new administration.
4) Two campaign officials said the appointment of a chief of staff was not expected for at least a day.
5) Instead, they said Obama would issue a written statement announcing that his transition team would be headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under 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.
6) The officials who described the developments did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss events not yet announced.
7) After leaving Bill Clinton's White House, Emanuel 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.
8) 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.
9) 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.
10) 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."
11) 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.
12) Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists figure as potential appointees for presidents of both parties.
13) The president-elect had breakfast with his wife and daughters, then left his house for a workout at a nearby gym. Aides said he intended to visit his campaign headquarters later in the day to thank his staff.
14) Obama has 10 weeks to build a new administration. But his status as an incumbent member of Congress presents issues unseen since 1960, when Democrat John F. Kennedy moved from the Senate to the White House.
15) The Senate is scheduled to hold a post-election 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.
16) 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 George W. Bush's willingness to sign it.


Obama begins assembling team
(APW_ENG_20081105.1740)
1) President-elect Barack Obama, flush from his groundbreaking victory over Republican John McCain, has just 10 weeks to assemble a new government to chop through the thicket of troubles the Bush administration will leave behind.
2) Obama on Tuesday night made history as America's first black man to be elected president, but times are bleak: the country is in the grips of its worst economic crisis in nearly eight decades even as it fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
3) Obama was quick out of the starting blocks Wednesday, calling on Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Illinois politician, to serve as White House chief of staff.
4) While several Democrats confirmed that Emanuel had been offered the job, it was not clear he had accepted. But rejection would amount to an unlikely public snub of the new president-elect swept toward power in an electoral college landslide.
5) With hundreds of jobs to fill before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Obama and his transition team confronted a formidable task complicated by his anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.
6) 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."
7) 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.
8) Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists have routinely filled out the list of potential appointees for past presidents of both parties.
9) On the morning after making history, the man elected the first black U.S. president had breakfast with his wife and two daughters at their Chicago home, went to a nearby gym and visited his downtown offices.
10) Aides said he planned no public appearances until later in the week, when he has promised to hold a news conference.
11) As president-elect, he begins receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials Thursday.
12) 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.
13) 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.
14) 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.
15) The day after the election there already was jockeying for Cabinet appointments.
16) 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.
17) Kerry's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, disputed the reports. "It's not true. It's ridiculous," she said in an interview.
18) Announcement of the transition team came in a written statement from the Obama camp.
19) The group is headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under former President Bill 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.
20) 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.
21) They said the group was stocked with longtime associates of Obama, as well as veterans of Clinton's White House.
22) McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with Obama in his concession speech.
23) One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Obama's plan to set a 16-month timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from combat in Iraq.
24) During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting a deadline even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration to do so.
25) But in conceding the presidency to Obama, McCain pledged "to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
26) He acknowledged his disappointment in defeat but said "we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again."
27) Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and an unsuccessful effort with Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
28) In electing Obama, the son of black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, American voters broke with the country's sad history of racial divisions.
29) While Obama made little of his race throughout the election season, his victory was clearly a milestone moment, testified to by the tears on the faces of black and white supporters, alike. Even opponents noted the significance.
30) Bush, speaking at the White House, pledged "complete cooperation" in the transition and called Obama's victory a "triumph of the American story." Condoleezza Rice, the U.S.'s black secretary of state, said she was "especially proud" that Obama was elected.



2008-11-06
Obama begins assembling team
(APW_ENG_20081106.0225)
1) President-elect Barack Obama barely had time to savor his victory before he began filling out his new administration and getting a sobering look at some of the daunting problems he will inherit when he takes office in just 10 weeks.
2) As president-elect, Obama begins receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials Thursday.
3) Already, Russia was threatening to put missiles alongside U.S.-ally Poland if President George W. Bush's plan for a missile defense shield in Europe is not repealed. In Afghanistan, U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai demanded that Obama "put an end to civilian casualties" by changing U.S. tactics to avoid airstrikes in the hunt for militants.
4) Obama on Tuesday night made history by being elected the first black U.S. president. But times are bleak: the country is in the grips of its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s and is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
5) Obama got a quick start with the transition Wednesday, calling on Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Illinois politician, to serve as White House chief of staff.
6) While several Democrats confirmed that Emanuel had been offered the job, it was not clear he had accepted. But rejection would amount to an unlikely public snub of the new president-elect swept toward power in an electoral college landslide.
7) Obama's staff said he would address the media by the end of the week, but Cabinet announcements were not planned that soon.
8) With hundreds of jobs to fill before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Obama and his transition team confronted a formidable task complicated by his anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.
9) 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."
10) Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists have routinely filled out the list of potential appointees for past presidents of both parties.
11) 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.
12) 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 Democratic 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.
13) 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.
14) The day after the election there already was jockeying for Cabinet appointments.
15) 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.
16) Kerry's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, disputed the reports.
17) In light of the financial crisis, Obama is expected to quickly name members of his economic team. Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, who served in the Clinton administration, and Timothy Geithner, president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, are among the names being mentioned for Treasury secretary.
18) Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has pledged to work with Obama to ensure a smooth transition. He has already set up desks and phone lines at the department where Obama's incoming Treasury team can work between now and the inauguration.
19) Obama's transition team is headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under former President Bill 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.
20) Several Democrats described a sprawling operation well under way. Officials had kept deliberations under wraps to avoid the appearance of overconfidence before the election.
21) They said the group was stocked with longtime associates of Obama, as well as veterans of Clinton's White House.
22) Obama began his first full day as president-elect by having breakfast with his daughters, the type of everyday family activity he often had to sacrifice during the nearly two-year marathon campaign.
23) Afterward, Obama left the house, and spent an hour at a friend's apartment building, where he uses the gym. Then it was back home to clean up before heading to the office -- where he held a conference call to thank campaign staff around the country.
24) Asked how much sleep he'd gotten on the night of his historic victory, Obama told reporters: "Not as much as I'd like."
25) Obama planned to stay in Chicago through the week, with a quiet weekend at home. He was still trying to figure out arrangements regarding his grandmother, who died Sunday. A trip to Hawaii for the small private memorial she requested was likely by the end of the year.
26) In addition to the many decisions he faces in getting the Obama administration up and running, he has personal decisions to make, too. Such as when to move his family to Washington and where his 10- and 7-year-old daughters will go to school.
27) And then there was the matter of choosing the family pet. "Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House," Obama told his daughters in his victory speech to tens of thousands of supporters in Chicago's Grant Park.
28) In a congratulatory call to Obama Tuesday night, President George W. Bush pledged to make a smooth transition and extended an invitation to the Obama family to visit their new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
29) On Wednesday, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama spoke by telephone, and the first lady also invited her successor to visit the White House with her daughters, according to Michelle Obama's spokeswoman, Katie McCormick Lelyveld.
30) Lelyveld said a date for the visit would be set soon.
31) Defeated Republican candidate John McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with Obama in his concession speech.
32) One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Obama's plan to set a 16-month timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from combat in Iraq.
33) During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting a deadline even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration to do so.
34) But in conceding the presidency to Obama, McCain pledged "to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
35) Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold and an unsuccessful effort with Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
36) Democrats, who padded their majorities in the House and Senate, suggested McCain could mediate solutions to partisan standoffs on key legislation.
37) "There's a need for the old John McCain, a leader who worked in a bipartisan way," Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Wednesday.
38) McCain and his family planned to spend a few days at their vacation compound near Sedona, Arizona, to rest from the long contest.


Obama begins assembling team
(APW_ENG_20081106.0573)
1) Facing the enormous task of assembling a new government, President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday closeted himself in Chicago to receive his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
2) His new government confronts massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first day after his historic victory over Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election.
3) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. And the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under President George W. Bush.
4) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if an Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
5) Obama was quick out of the starting blocks Wednesday, calling on Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicago politician and veteran of the Bill Clinton White House, to serve as his chief of staff.
6) While several Democrats confirmed Emanuel had been offered the job, it was not clear he had accepted. But rejection would amount to an unlikely snub of the new president-elect swept toward power in an electoral college landslide.
7) With hundreds of jobs to fill before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Obama and his transition team confronted a formidable task complicated by his anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.
8) 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." It added that "no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
9) But almost exactly one year ago, on Nov. 3, 2007, candidate Obama went considerably further than that while campaigning in South Carolina.
10) "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.
11) Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists have routinely filled out the list of potential appointees for past presidents of both parties.
12) On the morning after making history, the man elected the first black U.S. president had breakfast with his wife and two daughters at their Chicago home, went to a nearby gym and visited his downtown offices.
13) Aides said he planned no public appearances until later in the week, when he has promised to hold a news conference.
14) In offering the post of White House chief of staff to Emanuel, Obama turned to a fellow Illinoisan with a far different style from his own, a man known for his bluntness as well as his single-minded determination.
15) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
16) 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.
17) The day after the election there already was jockeying for Cabinet appointments.
18) 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.
19) Kerry's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, disputed the reports. "It's not true. It's ridiculous," she said in an interview.
20) Announcement of the transition team came in a written statement from the Obama camp.
21) The group is headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under Bill 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.
22) 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.
23) They said the group was stocked with longtime associates of Obama, as well as veterans of Clinton's White House.
24) McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with Obama in his concession speech.
25) One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Obama's plan to set a 16-month timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from combat in Iraq.
26) During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting a deadline even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration to do so.
27) But in conceding the presidency to Obama, McCain pledged "to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
28) Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold.


Obama begins assembling team
(APW_ENG_20081106.0728)
1) Facing the enormous task of assembling a new government, President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday closeted himself in Chicago to receive his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
2) His new government confronts massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first day after his historic victory over Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election.
3) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. And the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under President George W. Bush.
4) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if an Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
5) Obama was quick out of the starting blocks Wednesday, calling on Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicago politician and veteran of the Bill Clinton White House, to serve as his chief of staff.
6) While several Democrats confirmed Emanuel had been offered the job, it was not clear he had accepted. But rejection would amount to an unlikely snub of the new president-elect swept toward power in an electoral college landslide.
7) Emanuel told a Chicago television station he was honored to be considered but needed to weigh the impact on his family.
8) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview aired Wednesday. "And I know something about the White House. That, I assume, is one of the reasons that President-elect Obama would like me to serve. But I also know something about what it means to a family."
9) Emanuel added: "This is not a professional choice. This is a personal choice about what my wife and I want to do for our family, as much as what to do with my career."
10) With hundreds of jobs to fill before his Jan. 20 inauguration, Obama and his transition team confronted a formidable task complicated by his anti-lobbyist campaign rhetoric.
11) 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." It added that "no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration."
12) But almost exactly one year ago, on Nov. 3, 2007, candidate Obama went considerably further than that while campaigning in South Carolina.
13) "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.
14) Because they often have prior experience in government or politics, lobbyists have routinely filled out the list of potential appointees for past presidents of both parties.
15) Aides said Obama planned no public appearances until later in the week, when he has promised to hold a news conference.
16) In offering the post of White House chief of staff to Emanuel, Obama turned to a fellow Illinoisan with a far different style from his own, a man known for his bluntness as well as his single-minded determination.
17) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
18) 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.
19) The day after the election there already was jockeying for Cabinet appointments.
20) 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.
21) Kerry's spokeswoman, Brigid O'Rourke, disputed the reports. "It's not true. It's ridiculous," she said in an interview.
22) Announcement of the transition team came in a written statement from the Obama camp.
23) The group is headed by John Podesta, who served as chief of staff under Bill 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.
24) 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.
25) They said the group was stocked with longtime associates of Obama, as well as veterans of Clinton's White House.
26) McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with Obama in his concession speech.
27) One obvious focus will be the war in Iraq. After two years spent more on the campaign than in the Senate, McCain will return as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee. That will put the four-term Arizona senator in a position to influence Obama's plan to set a 16-month timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from combat in Iraq.
28) During the campaign, McCain staunchly opposed setting a deadline even as the Iraqi government began working with the Bush administration to do so.
29) But in conceding the presidency to Obama, McCain pledged "to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
30) Aides said they believed McCain would work well with Obama as president because much of his best work in the Senate had been done with Democrats, including a landmark campaign finance law he crafted with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold.


Obama begins assembling team
(APW_ENG_20081106.0933)
1) Facing the enormous task of assembling a new government, President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday closeted himself in Chicago for his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
2) He planned his first public appearance since his presidential victory for Friday -- a meeting with economic advisers to discuss the nation's financial troubles, which Americans listed as their top concern on election day. Obama plans to talk to the news media Friday afternoon after the meeting, aides said.
3) He and his wife, Michelle, will visit the White House on Monday at the invitation of President George W. Bush, aides said.
4) His new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election.
5) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points Wednesday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. It fell further on Thursday.
6) Meanwhile, the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under Bush.
7) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if the Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
8) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama -- the first time the country's leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
9) Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on "attracting the majority of voters in the election." The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
10) In the message, Ahmadinejad also said he hoped Obama will "use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name" during his term in office.
11) Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
12) The Associated Press, meanwhile, declared Obama the winner in North Carolina on Thursday, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat in more than a generation.
13) North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call.
14) Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
15) The president-elect was quick out of the starting blocks Wednesday, calling on Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a fellow Chicago politician and veteran of the Bill Clinton White House, to serve as his chief of staff.
16) While several Democrats confirmed Emanuel had been offered the job, it was not clear he had accepted. But rejection would amount to an unlikely snub of the new president-elect swept toward power in an electoral college landslide.
17) Emanuel told a Chicago television station he was honored to be considered but needed to weigh the impact on his family.
18) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview aired Wednesday.
19) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides. Gibbs has been Obama's longtime spokesman and confidant and was at Obama's side from his 2004 Senate campaign through the long days on the presidential campaign trail.
20) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff can get some rest after a grueling campaign and the emotional rush of their win Tuesday night. He is planning a trip to Hawaii in December to get away with his family before their move to the White House -- and to honor his grandmother, who died Sunday at her home there.
21) In offering the post of White House chief of staff to Emanuel, Obama turned to a fellow Illinoisan with a far different style from his own, a man known for his bluntness as well as his single-minded determination.
22) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
23) 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.


Rahm Emanuel to be Obama chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20081106.0978)
1) Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a key member of the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's call to serve him as chief of staff, party officials said on Thursday.
2) Choosing Emanuel was one of Obama's first decisions after becoming president-elect in Tuesday's election.
3) The hard-charging fellow Chicagoan accepted the job after struggling over family and political considerations. By moving into a top White House job for a second time, Emanuel will have to put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the lower chamber.
4) He was a key figure in the administration of former President Bill Clinton, where he was known for his blunt management style. His selection is a shift in tone for Obama, who chose more low-key leadership for his presidential campaign.
5) Emanuel's quick rise to a party leadership position in the House underlines his political acumen, and his choice by Obama points to the president-elect's preparations to move quickly on getting his legislative agenda through Congress. Emanuel will carry a major role in facilitating and selling Obama's plans.
6) Obama was working in Chicago on Thursday where he received his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
7) He planned his first public appearance since his presidential victory for Friday -- a meeting with economic advisers to discuss the nation's financial troubles, which Americans listed as their top concern on election day. Obama plans to talk to the news media Friday afternoon after the meeting, aides said.
8) He and his wife, Michelle, will visit the White House on Monday at the invitation of President George W. Bush, aides said.
9) His new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain on Tuesday.
10) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points Wednesday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. It fell further on Thursday.
11) Meanwhile, the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under Bush.
12) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if the Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
13) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama -- the first time the country's leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
14) Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on "attracting the majority of voters in the election." The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
15) In the message, Ahmadinejad also said he hoped Obama will "use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name" during his term in office.
16) Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
17) The Associated Press, meanwhile, declared Obama the winner in North Carolina on Thursday, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat in more than a generation.
18) North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call.
19) Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
20) Before accepting the chief of staff job, Emanuel had told a Chicago television station he was honored but needed to consider the impact on his family.
21) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview aired Wednesday.
22) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
23) 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.
24) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides. Gibbs has been Obama's longtime spokesman and confidant and was at Obama's side from his 2004 Senate campaign through the long days on the presidential campaign trail.
25) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff can get some rest after a grueling campaign and the emotional rush of their win Tuesday night. He is planning a trip to Hawaii in December to get away with his family before their move to the White House -- and to honor his grandmother, who died Sunday at her home there.


Obama ' s pick for chief of staff has tough-guy rep
(APW_ENG_20081106.0999)
1) Rep. Rahm Emanuel combines political instincts, White House experience and a Chicago tough-guy attitude -- traits that he's likely to need as President-elect Barack Obama's new chief of staff.
2) His combative style as political director in the early days of the Clinton administration earned him the nickname "Rahmbo," after the flame-throwing movie character Rambo. He didn't always produce results, though. Emanuel lost that job but stayed on as a senior adviser and oversaw some of Clinton's top initiatives, including the North American Free Trade Agreement and an assault-weapons ban.
3) After a lucrative stint in banking, Emanuel was elected to Congress in 2002 and quickly became a major power. He wound up overseeing the party's House election efforts in 2006 and won a majority for Democrats through tireless fundraising and candidate recruitment. Emanuel is now the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus Chair.
4) "He's a good tactician. He's a creative thinker. But I think what probably makes him most successful is that he has the will to follow his convictions," Rep. Danny Davis, a fellow Illinois Democrat, said after the 2006 victory.
5) Emanuel grew up in the ritzy Chicago suburb of Wilmette, the son of an Israeli doctor who moved to the United States. His brother, Ari, is a Hollywood agent and the inspiration for Ari Gold, the Type-A superagent on HBO's show "Entourage."
6) His start in politics came after college, when he worked for Paul Simon's 1984 Senate campaign and Richard Daley's run for Chicago mayor in 1989.
7) Then he went to work for a little-known Arkansas governor who wanted to be president.
8) Emanuel's fundraising skills are credited with helping keep Bill Clinton's campaign afloat during some rocky times, particularly during sexual scandals.
9) In 1999, Emanuel left the White House for Chicago to work in investment banking. The firm he joined was soon sold and Emanuel made millions, giving him the financial security to get back into politics.
10) When he was tapped to oversee the 2006 campaign effort, Emanuel led a record fundraising effort, bringing in far more money than four years earlier. The single biggest source of money was other members of Congress, which irritated some members who faced fierce pressure to contribute.
11) The additional money allowed House Democrats to expand the field, going into districts that hadn't been considered competitive before. That sometimes meant recruiting more conservative candidates, an Emanuel strategy that generated some complaints.
12) But his success in electing a Democratic majority soothed most hard feelings and confirmed Emanuel as a major force in the House -- perhaps even a future speaker.


Obama ' s pick for chief of staff has tough-guy rep
(APW_ENG_20081106.1032)
1) Rep. Rahm Emanuel combines political instincts, White House experience and a Chicago tough-guy attitude -- traits that he's likely to need as President-elect Barack Obama's new chief of staff.
2) His combative style as political director in the early days of the Clinton administration earned him the nickname "Rahmbo," after the flame-throwing movie character Rambo. He didn't always produce results, though. Emanuel lost that job but stayed on as a senior adviser and oversaw some of Clinton's top initiatives, including NAFTA and an assault-weapons ban.
3) After a lucrative stint in banking, Emanuel was elected to Congress in 2002 and quickly became a major power. He wound up overseeing the party's House election efforts in 2006 and won a majority for Democrats through tireless fundraising and candidate recruitment. Emanuel is now the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus Chair.
4) "He's a good tactician. He's a creative thinker. But I think what probably makes him most successful is that he has the will to follow his convictions," Rep. Danny Davis, another Illinois Democrat, said after the 2006 victory.
5) Emanuel grew up in the ritzy Chicago suburb of Wilmette, the son of an Israeli doctor who moved to the United States. His brother Ari is a Hollywood agent and the inspiration for Ari Gold, the hyper-ambitious superagent on the HBO series "Entourage." The congressman himself has been cited as an inspiration for presidential aide Josh Lyman on the drama series "The West Wing."
6) His start in politics came after college, when he worked for Paul Simon's 1984 Senate campaign and Richard Daley's run for Chicago mayor in 1989.
7) Then he went to work for a little-known Arkansas governor who wanted to be president.
8) Emanuel's fundraising skills are credited with helping keep Bill Clinton's campaign afloat during some rocky times, particularly sexual scandals.
9) In 1999, Emanuel left the White House to work in investment banking in Chicago, where Obama also lives. The firm Emanuel joined was soon sold and Emanuel made millions, giving him the financial security to get back into politics.
10) When he was tapped to oversee the 2006 congressional campaign effort, Emanuel led a record fundraising effort, bringing in far more money than four years earlier. The single biggest source of money was other members of Congress, which irritated some members who faced fierce pressure to contribute.
11) The additional money allowed House Democrats to expand the field, going into districts that hadn't been considered competitive before. That sometimes meant recruiting more conservative candidates, an Emanuel strategy that generated some complaints.
12) But his success in electing a Democratic majority soothed most hard feelings and confirmed Emanuel as a major force in the House -- perhaps even a future speaker.
13) Emanuel and his wife have three children. He told Chicago's WLS-TV on Wednesday that he needed to consider the impact of the job on his family before accepting.
14) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," he said. "And I know something about the White House. That, I assume, is one of the reasons that President-elect Obama would like me to serve. But I also know something about what it means to a family."


Rahm Emanuel to be Obama chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20081106.1167)
1) Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a key member of the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's call to serve him as chief of staff, party officials said on Thursday.
2) Choosing Emanuel was one of Obama's first decisions after becoming president-elect in Tuesday's election.
3) In a statement Thursday afternoon, Obama said his new chief's experience in the White House, the private sector and Congress "have given Rahm deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration."
4) He thanked his Chicago friend for "once again answering his country's call."
5) The hard-charging Emanuel accepted the job after struggling over family and political considerations. By moving into a top White House job for a second time, Emanuel will have to put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the lower chamber.
6) Hoping to blunt partisan blowback from Republicans in Congress, Emanuel's statement declared:
7) "I want to say a special word about my Republican colleagues, who serve with dignity, decency and a deep sense of patriotism. We often disagree, but I respect their motives. 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."
8) Emanuel was a key figure in the administration of former President Bill Clinton, where he was known for his blunt management style. His selection is a shift in tone for Obama, who chose more low-key leadership for his presidential campaign.
9) Emanuel's quick rise to a party leadership position in the House underlines his political acumen, and his choice by Obama points to the president-elect's preparations to move quickly on getting his legislative agenda through Congress. Emanuel will carry a major role in facilitating and selling Obama's plans.
10) Obama was working in Chicago on Thursday where he received his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
11) He planned his first public appearance since his presidential victory for Friday -- a meeting with economic advisers to discuss the nation's financial troubles, which Americans listed as their top concern on election day. Obama plans to talk to the news media Friday afternoon after the meeting, aides said.
12) He and his wife, Michelle, will visit the White House on Monday at the invitation of President George W. Bush, aides said.
13) His new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain on Tuesday.
14) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points Wednesday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. It fell further on Thursday.
15) Meanwhile, the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under Bush.
16) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if the Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
17) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama -- the first time the country's leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
18) Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on "attracting the majority of voters in the election." The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
19) In the message, Ahmadinejad also said he hoped Obama will "use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name" during his term in office.
20) Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
21) The Associated Press, meanwhile, declared Obama the winner in North Carolina on Thursday, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat in more than a generation.
22) North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call.
23) Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
24) Before accepting the chief of staff job, Emanuel had told a Chicago television station he was honored but needed to consider the impact on his family.
25) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview aired Wednesday.
26) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
27) 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.
28) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides. Gibbs has been Obama's longtime spokesman and confidant and was at Obama's side from his 2004 Senate campaign through the long days on the presidential campaign trail.
29) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff can get some rest after a grueling campaign and the emotional rush of their win Tuesday night. He is planning a trip to Hawaii in December to get away with his family before their move to the White House -- and to honor his grandmother, who died Sunday at her home there.


Rahm Emanuel to be Obama chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20081106.1178)
1) President-elect Barack Obama has named llinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a key member of the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, to serve him as chief of staff.
2) Choosing Emanuel was one of Obama's first decisions after becoming president-elect in Tuesday's election.
3) In a statement Thursday afternoon, Obama said his new chief's experience in the White House, the private sector and Congress "have given Rahm deep insights into the challenging economic issues that will be front and center for our administration."
4) He thanked his Chicago friend for "once again answering his country's call."
5) The hard-charging Emanuel accepted the job after struggling over family and political considerations. By moving into a top White House job for a second time, Emanuel will have to put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the lower chamber.
6) Hoping to blunt partisan blowback from Republicans in Congress, Emanuel's statement declared:
7) "I want to say a special word about my Republican colleagues, who serve with dignity, decency and a deep sense of patriotism. We often disagree, but I respect their motives. 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."
8) Emanuel was a key figure in the administration of former President Bill Clinton, where he was known for his blunt management style. His selection is a shift in tone for Obama, who chose more low-key leadership for his presidential campaign.
9) Emanuel's quick rise to a party leadership position in the House underlines his political acumen, and his choice by Obama points to the president-elect's preparations to move quickly on getting his legislative agenda through Congress. Emanuel will carry a major role in facilitating and selling Obama's plans.
10) Obama was working in Chicago on Thursday where he received his first presidential-style intelligence briefing before moving into the White House in 10 weeks.
11) He planned his first public appearance since his presidential victory for Friday -- a meeting with economic advisers to discuss the nation's financial troubles, which Americans listed as their top concern on election day. Obama plans to talk to the news media Friday afternoon after the meeting, aides said.
12) He and his wife, Michelle, will visit the White House on Monday at the invitation of President George W. Bush, aides said.
13) His new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, as evidence made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain on Tuesday.
14) The U.S. stock market greeted his elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging nearly 500 points Wednesday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. It fell further on Thursday.
15) Meanwhile, the Kremlin sounded off as well, with President Dmitry Medvedev declaring: "Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egoistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community" -- an apparent reference to the United States under Bush.
16) Medvedev issued the stark challenge even as he threatened to erect missiles along the Polish border if the Obama administration were to go forward with plans laid out by the Bush administration to create a missile shield in the Eastern Europe.
17) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama -- the first time the country's leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
18) Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on "attracting the majority of voters in the election." The text of the note was carried by the official IRNA news agency.
19) In the message, Ahmadinejad also said he hoped Obama will "use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name" during his term in office.
20) Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
21) The Associated Press, meanwhile, declared Obama the winner in North Carolina on Thursday, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat in more than a generation.
22) North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call.
23) Obama's win in North Carolina was the first for a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
24) Before accepting the chief of staff job, Emanuel had told a Chicago television station he was honored but needed to consider the impact on his family.
25) "I have a lot to weigh: the basis of public service, which I've given my life to, a career choice. And most importantly, what I want to do as a parent," Emanuel said in an interview aired Wednesday.
26) Emanuel was a political and policy aide to Clinton before he turned to investment banking. He 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.
27) 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.
28) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides. Gibbs has been Obama's longtime spokesman and confidant and was at Obama's side from his 2004 Senate campaign through the long days on the presidential campaign trail.
29) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff can get some rest after a grueling campaign and the emotional rush of their win Tuesday night. He is planning a trip to Hawaii in December to get away with his family before their move to the White House -- and to honor his grandmother, who died Sunday at her home there.



2008-11-07
Obama ' s choice of Emanuel shows switch in tone
(APW_ENG_20081107.0097)
1) Barack Obama is signaling a shift in tactics and temperament as he moves from candidate to president-elect, picking sharp-elbowed Washington insiders for top posts.
2) His choice Thursday for White House chief of staff -- Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan who doesn't mind breaking glass and hurting feelings -- is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" has surrounded himself with during his campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
3) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show that Obama is aware of his weaknesses as well as his strengths and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
4) "No one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel," Obama said in a statement announcing the selection.
5) Obama, who survived a long primary contest with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, also has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
6) Obama himself brims with self-confidence, to the point that some people view him as arrogant. But to a greater degree than many presidents, he appears willing to lean on Washington insiders associated with other politicians.
7) With the Emanuel selection, Democrats say Obama seemed to recognize that he may have his work cut out for him in taming his party's members of the House of Representatives: Liberals may try to push their own agenda, not necessarily Obama's. They say Emanuel is someone who not only can stand up to Congress but also maneuver through it to achieve a chief executive's goals.
8) Emanuel accepted Obama's offer with a gesture of bipartisanship, addressing part of his statement to Republicans. "We often disagree, but I respect their motives," Emanuel 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."
9) In contrast to Obama's collegial style and that of his top campaign advisers, Emanuel is known as a foul-mouthed practitioner of brass-knuckled politics who relishes both conflict and publicity. He once mailed a dead fish to a political foe.
10) House Republican leader John Boehner, however, called his appointment an "ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center."
11) Obama frequently sought Emanuel's advice during the presidential race, according to one campaign official.
12) Emanuel will have to resign his congressional seat and put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the House.
13) On Thursday, Obama met privately at the FBI office in Chicago with U.S. intelligence officials, preparing to become commander in chief. He received his first president's daily brief, a document written mostly by the Central Intelligence Agency and including the most critical overnight intelligence. It is accompanied by a briefing from top intelligence officials.
14) Later, Obama met with his transition team leaders who are tasked with building his entire administration in 10 weeks.
15) Advisers said he was emphasizing care over speed, with no plans to announce Cabinet positions this week.
16) From Washington to Chicago, names of people said to be jockeying for spots in an Obama administration or under consideration by the transition team spread through the rumor mill. Some Democrats say retired Marine Gen. James Jones was being discussed as secretary of state. Also, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, was said to be interested in becoming Education secretary.
17) Obama has indicated he'd like a bipartisan Cabinet, and Republicans who are potential candidates include Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar.
18) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides.
19) The president-elect planned his first public appearances since his victory for Friday, a meeting with economic advisers followed by a news conference. Obama and his wife, Michelle, also planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
20) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff could get some rest after a grueling campaign and the rush of their win Tuesday night.
21) Obama's new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, which was made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain on Tuesday.
22) The U.S. stock market greeted Obama's elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging about 5 percent both Wednesday and Thursday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.
23) On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama -- the first time the country's leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
24) Iran and U.S. have no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
25) The Associated Press, meanwhile, declared Obama the winner in North Carolina on Thursday, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1976.
26) North Carolina's 15 electoral votes brings Obama's total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri is the only state that remains too close to call.


Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
(APW_ENG_20081107.0151)
1) President-elect Barack Obama is seeking some economic advice from leaders of business, government and academia, making the struggling economy -- the nation's No. 1 concern -- his first order of public business.
2) Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden were meeting Friday with 17 members of their transition economic advisory board. Members include former presidential Cabinet officials and executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
3) Obama also was holding his first news conference as president-elect after the meeting.
4) It was to be Obama's first public appearance since Tuesday's election, where exit polls showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. He has been using the time for private meetings with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government.
5) His first choice, for White House chief of staff, was Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign.
6) In contrast to Obama's collegial style and that of his top campaign advisers, Emanuel is known as a foul-mouthed practitioner of brass-knuckled politics who relishes both conflict and publicity. He once mailed a dead fish to a political foe.
7) With the Emanuel selection, Democrats say Obama seemed to recognize that he may have his work cut out for him in taming his party's members of the House of Representatives: Liberals may try to push their own agenda, not necessarily Obama's. They say Emanuel is someone who not only can stand up to Congress but also maneuver through it to achieve a chief executive's goals.
8) And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
9) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
10) In announcing Emanuel's appointment, Obama also highlighted his economic experience, touching on what will be a key issue once he takes office.
11) Obama's new government faces massive challenges both at home and abroad, which was made clear on the first days after his historic victory over Republican John McCain.
12) The U.S. stock market greeted Obama's elevation to the pinnacle of American power by plunging about 5 percent both Wednesday and Thursday on more dire news about an economy in the throes of its worst crisis since the 1930s Great Depression.
13) Obama, who bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
14) Podesta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama's short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta's supervision.
15) Obama also is certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides like senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Both have worked closely with Obama since he ran for the Senate in 2004.
16) On Thursday, Obama met privately at the FBI office in Chicago with U.S. intelligence officials, preparing to become commander-in-chief. He received his first president's daily brief, a document written mostly by the Central Intelligence Agency and including the most critical overnight intelligence. It is accompanied by a briefing from top intelligence officials.
17) Later, Obama met with his transition team leaders who are tasked with building his entire administration in 10 weeks.
18) Advisers said he was emphasizing care over speed, with no plans to announce Cabinet positions this week.
19) From Washington to Chicago, names of people said to be jockeying for spots in an Obama administration or under consideration by the transition team spread through the rumor mill. Some Democrats say retired Marine Gen. James Jones was being discussed as secretary of state. Also, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, was said to be interested in becoming Education secretary.
20) Obama has indicated he'd like a bipartisan Cabinet, and Republicans who are potential candidates include Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel and Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar.
21) Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides.
22) A steady stream of world leaders congratulated the U.S.'s first black president, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's statement marked the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
23) Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
24) Obama spoke by telephone with other world leaders including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
25) Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
26) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory. He is planning a family getaway to Hawaii in December before they move to the White House, and to honor his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died Sunday at her home there.


Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
(APW_ENG_20081107.0219)
1) President-elect Barack Obama was tackling the struggling U.S. economy as his first order of business, meeting Friday with leaders of business, government and academia before he holds his first press conference since the election.
2) Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden were to meet with 17 members of their transition economic advisory board. Members include former presidential Cabinet officials and executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
3) Friday's press conference will be Obama's first public appearance since he trounced Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election to become America's first black president.
4) Exit polls from the election showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. Obama has been using the time for private meetings with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government.
5) His first choice, for White House chief of staff, was Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
6) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
7) Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
8) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory. He is planning a family getaway to Hawaii in December before they move to the White House, and to honor his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who died Sunday at her home there.
9) Obama, who bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
10) Podesta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama's short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta's supervision.
11) Obama also is certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides like senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Both have worked closely with Obama since he ran for the Senate in 2004.
12) A steady stream of world leaders have congratulated Obama, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's statement marked the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
13) Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
14) Obama spoke by telephone with other world leaders including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
15) On Thursday, The Associated Press declared Obama the winner in North Carolina, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. That brings Obama's electoral vote total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri was the only state that remained too close to call.


Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
(APW_ENG_20081107.0245)
1) President-elect Barack Obama was meeting Friday with economic experts to discuss the first steps toward healing the damaged U.S. economy as he forms a new administration in the face of a worsening crisis.
2) Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden were to meet with 17 members of their transition economic advisory board. Members include former presidential Cabinet officials and executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
3) "We're not starting from nowhere," said Lawrence Summers, a Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and one of the members of the advisory board.
4) "Throughout his campaign the president-elect has been talking about what we need to do. We need to put the middle class at the center of the policy approach in a way that it hasn't been these last years," Summers told NBC television Friday morning.
5) After the meeting, Obama is to hold a press conference that would be his first public appearance since he trounced Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election to become America's first black president.
6) Exit polls from the election showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. Obama has been using the time for private meetings with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government after he is sworn in Jan. 20.
7) His first choice, for White House chief of staff, was Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
8) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
9) Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
10) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory.
11) Obama, who bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
12) Podesta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama's short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta's supervision.
13) Obama also is certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides like senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Both have worked closely with Obama since he ran for the Senate in 2004.
14) A steady stream of world leaders have congratulated Obama, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's statement marked the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
15) Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
16) Obama spoke by telephone with other world leaders including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
17) On Thursday, The Associated Press declared Obama the winner in North Carolina, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. That brings Obama's electoral vote total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri was the only state that remained too close to call.


Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
(APW_ENG_20081107.0248)
1) President-elect Barack Obama was meeting Friday with economic experts to discuss the first steps toward healing the damaged U.S. economy as he forms a new administration in the face of a worsening crisis.
2) Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden were to meet with 17 members of their transition economic advisory board. Members include former presidential Cabinet officials and executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
3) "We're not starting from nowhere," said Lawrence Summers, a Treasury secretary under President Bill Clinton and one of the members of the advisory board.
4) "Throughout his campaign the president-elect has been talking about what we need to do. We need to put the middle class at the center of the policy approach in a way that it hasn't been these last years," Summers told NBC television Friday morning.
5) After the meeting, Obama is to hold a press conference that would be his first public appearance since he trounced Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election to become America's first black president.
6) Exit polls from the election showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. More evidence of a recession came Friday when the government reported that the unemployment rate had jumped from 6.1 percent in September to 6.5 percent in October.
7) Obama has been meeting privately with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government after he is sworn in Jan. 20.
8) His first choice, for White House chief of staff, was Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
9) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
10) Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
11) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory.
12) Obama, who bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
13) Podesta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama's short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta's supervision.
14) Obama also is certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides like senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Both have worked closely with Obama since he ran for the Senate in 2004.
15) A steady stream of world leaders have congratulated Obama, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's statement marked the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
16) Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
17) Obama spoke by telephone with other world leaders including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
18) On Thursday, The Associated Press declared Obama the winner in North Carolina, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. That brings Obama's electoral vote total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri was the only state that remained too close to call.


Obama meeting Friday with economic advisers
(APW_ENG_20081107.0380)
1) President-elect Barack Obama met with economic experts Friday to discuss ways to stabilize the teetering U.S. economy that is expected to dominate his transition to power and early days in office.
2) Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden convened a meeting of the transition economic advisory board, a high-powered collection of business, academic and government leaders. They included Lawrence Summers, who some have mentioned as a candidate for Treasury secretary, a post he held in the Clinton administration, as well as executives from Xerox Corp., Time Warner Inc., Google Inc. and the Hyatt hotel company. Famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett was participating by telephone.
3) Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who will be Obama's White House chief of staff, also participated in the meeting.
4) "We're not starting from nowhere," Summers told NBC's "Today" show. "Throughout his campaign the president-elect has been talking about what we need to do. We need to put the middle class at the center of the policy approach in a way that it hasn't been these last years."
5) After the meeting, Obama is to hold a press conference that would be his first public appearance since he trounced Republican John McCain in Tuesday's election to become America's first black president.
6) Exit polls from the election showed that the economy was far and away the top issue for voters. More evidence of a recession came Friday when the government reported that the unemployment rate had jumped from 6.1 percent in September to 6.5 percent in October.
7) Obama has been meeting privately with his transition team, receiving congratulatory phone calls from U.S. allies and intelligence briefings, and making decisions about who will help run his government after he is sworn in Jan. 20.
8) His first choice was Emanuel for White House chief of staff, a fiery partisan unafraid of breaking glass and hurting feelings. The choice of Emanuel is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" surrounded himself with during the campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
9) The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a nontraditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show he is aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
10) Obama and his wife, Michelle, planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W. Bush's invitation.
11) Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so he and his staff can rest after the grueling campaign and the rush of Tuesday night's victory.
12) Obama, who bested Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
13) Podesta was Bill Clinton's chief of staff, and several other former Clinton aides are on Obama's short lists for key jobs, Democratic officials say. Some helped write a large briefing book on how to govern, assembled under Podesta's supervision.
14) Obama also is certain to bring to the White House a cadre of longtime aides like senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs. Both have worked closely with Obama since he ran for the Senate in 2004.
15) A steady stream of world leaders have congratulated Obama, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad's statement marked the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
16) Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 and the hostage drama when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.
17) Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the president-elect spoke to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
18) On Thursday, The Associated Press declared Obama the winner in North Carolina, a symbolic triumph in a state that hadn't voted for a Democrat since 1976. That brings Obama's electoral vote total to 364 -- nearly 100 more than necessary to win the White House. Missouri was the only state that remained too close to call.



2008-11-09
Obama steering clear of Dems battle over Lieberman
(APW_ENG_20081109.0485)
1) President-elect Barack Obama is avoiding the issue of whether Sen. Joe Lieberman should remain chairman of an important committee.
2) Lieberman's affiliation with Democrats is in question after the Connecticut independent's high-profile support of Republican John McCain for president.
3) Lieberman has met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but there has been no word on whether Reid intends to try to remove Lieberman as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
4) Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, says that what happens on Capitol Hill is the business of the House and Senate. Emanuel says the Obama administration's focus is on the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
5) Emanuel spoke on ABC's "This Week."



2008-11-13
Obama top aide apologizes to Arabs
(APW_ENG_20081113.1315)
1) President-elect Barack Obama's White House chief of staff apologized to the Arab-American community on Thursday for remarks his Israeli-born father made to an Israeli newspaper.
2) Last week, Benjamin Emanuel talked about his son Rahm Emanuel's new job and told the Israeli daily Ma'ariv that "obviously he'll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to be mopping floors at the White House."
3) That prompted an outcry from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which called on Rahm Emanuel, who is Jewish, to condemn the "unacceptable smear."
4) On Thursday, Rahm Emanuel called the group's president, Mary Rose Oakar, to apologize on behalf of his family.
5) "These are not the values upon which I was raised or those of my family," the group quoted him as saying.
6) Oakar said the apology was accepted.
7) Emanuel spokesman Nick Papas confirmed the phone call and said Emanuel "offered to meet with representatives of the Arab-American community at an appropriate time in the future."



2008-11-14
Obama to meet with McCain on Monday
(APW_ENG_20081114.0767)
1) President-elect Barack Obama's transition office says the Democrat will meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
2) In announcing the meeting, Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said the pair will "discuss ways to work together" to improve the quality of government and services to the people.
3) Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.


Officials: Hillary Clinton being eyed for State
(APW_ENG_20081114.0852)
1) President-elect Barack Obama has met with his former rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and is considering her as a possible candidate for secretary of state, Democratic officials said.
2) Clinton was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the top U.S. diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort.
3) A Democratic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the two met Thursday afternoon in Obama's Chicago office.
4) Clinton's motorcade -- she receives Secret Service protection as a former first lady -- was seen leaving the office complex shortly before Obama left for the day. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines would say only "Senator Clinton had no public schedule yesterday," and referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment.
5) Clinton pushed Obama hard during the campaign, and was rumored to be a possible pick for vice-president after she lost the nomination to the young Illinois senator. Obama instead chose veteran Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting speculation that that, among other reasons, he didn't want to be saddled with Clinton's restless husband, former President Bill Clinton.
6) Bill Clinton was cool toward Obama following the bruising nomination battle between Obama and his wife. However, any lingering animosity was put aside when both Clintons gave rousing endorsements of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August, and later campaigned for him.
7) Since then, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers of Bill Clinton's presidency. Some of them are pushing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Other senators, including Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration.
8) The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff.
9) In his first two weeks as president-elect, Obama has struck a bipartisan tone. He paired a Republican and a Democrat to meet with foreign leaders this weekend on his behalf in Washington, for example, and on Friday his transition office announced Obama would meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
10) The meeting will be the first since Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, beat McCain, an Arizona senator, by an Electoral College landslide in the Nov. 4 election.
11) "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said in announcing the meeting.
12) Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.


Officials: Hillary Clinton being eyed for State
(APW_ENG_20081114.0886)
1) President-elect Barack Obama has met with his former rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and is considering her as a possible candidate for secretary of state, Democratic officials said.
2) Clinton was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the top U.S. diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort.
3) A Democratic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the two met Thursday afternoon in Obama's Chicago office.
4) Clinton's motorcade -- she receives Secret Service protection as a former first lady -- was seen leaving the office complex shortly before Obama left for the day. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines would say only "Senator Clinton had no public schedule yesterday," and referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment.
5) Clinton pushed Obama hard during the campaign, and was rumored to be a possible pick for vice-president after she lost the nomination to the young Illinois senator. Obama instead chose veteran Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting speculation that that, among other reasons, he didn't want to be saddled with Clinton's restless husband, former President Bill Clinton.
6) Bill Clinton was cool toward Obama following the bruising nomination battle between Obama and his wife. However, any lingering animosity was put aside when both Clintons gave rousing endorsements of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August, and later campaigned for him.
7) Since then, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers of Bill Clinton's presidency. Some of them are pushing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Other senators, including Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration.
8) The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday of Clinton's prospects for becoming secretary of state did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff.
9) In his first two weeks as president-elect, Obama has struck a bipartisan tone. He paired a Republican and a Democrat to meet with foreign leaders this weekend on his behalf in Washington, for example, and on Friday his transition office announced Obama would meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
10) The meeting will be the first since Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, beat McCain, an Arizona senator, by an Electoral College landslide in the Nov. 4 election.
11) "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said in announcing the meeting.
12) Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.
13) Republican and Democratic officials say Emanuel and Graham arranged in a post-election conversation to have Obama and McCain meet at the earliest possible time, and Monday was it. Emanuel and Graham have worked together before on issues on Capitol Hill, and Graham jumped to Emanuel's defense when Republicans criticized his appointment as Obama's chief of staff.
14) Since the election, McCain has had few public appearances. He appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Tuesday and campaigned in Georgia for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who faces a runoff next month.


Officials: Hillary Clinton being eyed for State
(APW_ENG_20081114.1022)
1) President-elect Barack Obama has met with his former rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and is considering her as a possible candidate for secretary of state, Democratic officials said.
2) Clinton was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the top U.S. diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort.
3) A Democratic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the two met Thursday afternoon in Obama's Chicago office.
4) Clinton's motorcade -- she receives Secret Service protection as a former first lady -- was seen leaving the office complex shortly before Obama left for the day. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines would say only "Senator Clinton had no public schedule yesterday," and referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment.
5) Clinton pushed Obama hard during the campaign, and was rumored to be a possible pick for vice-president after she lost the nomination to the young Illinois senator. Obama instead chose veteran Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting speculation that that, among other reasons, he didn't want to be saddled with Clinton's restless husband, former President Bill Clinton.
6) Bill Clinton was cool toward Obama following the bruising nomination battle between Obama and his wife. However, any lingering animosity was put aside when both Clintons gave rousing endorsements of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August, and later campaigned for him.
7) Since then, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers of Bill Clinton's presidency. Some of them are pushing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Other senators, including Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration.
8) The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday of Clinton's prospects for becoming secretary of state did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff.
9) In his first two weeks as president-elect, Obama has struck a bipartisan tone. He paired a Republican and a Democrat to meet with foreign leaders this weekend on his behalf in Washington, for example, and on Friday his transition office announced Obama would meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
10) The meeting will be the first since Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, beat McCain, an Arizona senator, by an Electoral College landslide in the Nov. 4 election.
11) Advisers to both men say they do not expect Obama to consider McCain for a position in his administration. But he would like to have McCain as a partner in the Senate on legislation they both have advocated on the campaign trail, like climate change, earmark reform and torture.
12) "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said in announcing the meeting.
13) Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.
14) Republican and Democratic officials say Emanuel and Graham arranged in a post-election conversation to have Obama and McCain meet at the earliest possible time, and Monday was it. Emanuel and Graham have worked together before on issues on Capitol Hill, and Graham jumped to Emanuel's defense when Republicans criticized his appointment as Obama's chief of staff.
15) Since the election, McCain has had few public appearances. He appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Tuesday and campaigned in Georgia for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who faces a runoff next month.


Officials: Hillary Clinton being eyed for State
(APW_ENG_20081114.1213)
1) President-elect Barack Obama has met with his former rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and is considering her as a possible candidate for secretary of state, Democratic officials said.
2) Clinton was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the top U.S. diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort.
3) A Democratic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the two met Thursday afternoon in Obama's Chicago office.
4) Clinton's motorcade -- she receives Secret Service protection as a former first lady -- was seen leaving the office complex shortly before Obama left for the day. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines would say only "Senator Clinton had no public schedule yesterday," and referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment.
5) Clinton pushed Obama hard during the campaign, and was rumored to be a possible pick for vice-president after she lost the nomination to the young Illinois senator. Obama instead chose veteran Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting speculation that that, among other reasons, he didn't want to be saddled with Clinton's restless husband, former President Bill Clinton.
6) Bill Clinton was cool toward Obama following the bruising nomination battle between Obama and his wife. However, any lingering animosity was put aside when both Clintons gave rousing endorsements of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August, and later campaigned for him.
7) Since then, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers of Bill Clinton's presidency. Some of them are pushing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Other senators, including Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration.
8) The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday of Clinton's prospects for becoming secretary of state did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff.
9) In his first two weeks as president-elect, Obama has struck a bipartisan tone. He paired a Republican and a Democrat to meet with foreign leaders this weekend on his behalf in Washington, for example, and on Friday his transition office announced Obama would meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
10) The meeting will be the first since Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, beat McCain, an Arizona senator, by an Electoral College landslide in the Nov. 4 election.
11) Advisers to both men say they do not expect Obama to consider McCain for a position in his administration. But he would like to have McCain as a partner in the Senate on legislation they both have advocated on the campaign trail, like climate change, earmark reform and torture.
12) "It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said in announcing the meeting.
13) Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.
14) Republican and Democratic officials say Emanuel and Graham arranged in a post-election conversation to have Obama and McCain meet at the earliest possible time, and Monday was it. Emanuel and Graham have worked together before on issues on Capitol Hill, and Graham jumped to Emanuel's defense when Republicans criticized his appointment as Obama's chief of staff.
15) Since the election, McCain has had few public appearances. He appeared on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno on Tuesday and campaigned in Georgia for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who faces a runoff next month.
16) On Friday, officials in Nebraska announced that Obama has won an electoral vote there, making history in a state that has never split its electoral votes. Under the American system, voters cast ballots for small groups of electors from each state, who in turn vote for the president.
17) After all remaining ballots were counted Friday, Obama emerged with a 3,325-vote lead over Republican John McCain in unofficial results in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the city of Omaha.
18) Nebraska, with five votes, and Maine are the only states that divide their electoral votes by congressional district.
19) Obama now has 365 electoral votes to McCain's 162.
20) Missouri, with 11 electoral votes, is still too close to call. Election officials there have until Tuesday to finish counting.



2008-11-17
Obama to meet with McCain at transition office
(APW_ENG_20081117.0371)
1) Once campaign rivals, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are ready to talk about how they can collaborate on issues facing the United States.
2) A private meeting, slated for Monday at Obama's transition office in Chicago, will be the first since Obama beat McCain, the Republican candidate, in the Nov. 4 election.
3) Obama, who resigned his Senate seat on Sunday, has been interviewing some of his one-time political opponents to help him run the country, but advisers to the former candidates have said they don't expect Obama to consider McCain for an administration job.
4) The two will be joined by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat Obama has chosen as his White House chief of staff.
5) Emanuel and Graham have worked together before on issues on Capitol Hill, and Graham jumped to Emanuel's defense when Republicans criticized his appointment as Obama's chief of staff.
6) In announcing the meeting on Friday, Obama's transition office said the president-elect and McCain "share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality."



2008-11-22
Chicago, Clinton camps feed Obama ' s incoming team
(APW_ENG_20081122.0608)
1) Two main quarries are supplying the building blocks for President-elect Barack Obama's new administration.
2) Longtime, deeply loyal associates will dominate the White House inner sanctum. And veterans of Bill Clinton's presidency will hold vital jobs throughout the government, although a bit farther from the Oval Office.
3) The structure suggests Obama is confident enough to hand top posts to former rivals whose loyalty is not guaranteed, a strategy many presidents have avoided. But most of those on Obama's team who will have his ear everyday will be old friends and experienced advisers who are seen as having no ambitions beyond his success.
4) Obama raised eyebrows this month when he tapped some of Clinton's closest allies for important jobs.
5) John Podesta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, is heading the transition effort. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a former top Clinton adviser, is Obama's chief of staff. Former Clinton appointees Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano appear in line for Cabinet posts.
6) Even more startling to many, Obama has signaled plans to name former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.
7) Some Obama supporters have praised him for reaching out to his toughest primary opponent. But others question why they worked so hard to defeat Clinton only to see her, and many close to her, grab prizes in the new administration. They note that Obama repeatedly campaigned against "the politics of the past" and Washington "dramas," thinly veiled jabs at the Clinton presidency as well as President George W. Bush's tenure.
8) Stephen Hess, a George Washington University authority on presidential transitions, said Obama is playing it smart.
9) "It's easy to make a leap that this is going to be a repeat of the Clinton administration and there's no way that's going to happen," said Hess, who first worked for the Eisenhower administration.
10) Obama needs a core of Democrats with federal government experience, Hess said, and veterans of Bill Clinton's administration are virtually the only source.
11) "The old-timers are exceedingly valuable to him now," he said, but Obama "also has his own group of advisers, and he will merge the two groups."
12) That merger began taking shape last week. Obama's three "senior advisers," who will have desks near the Oval Office, are some of his closest and longest-serving allies:
13) --David Axelrod, his Chicago-based media strategist, will focus on message and communications.
14) --Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman and close family friend, probably will concentrate on intergovernmental relations and community outreach.
15) --Pete Rouse, who was Obama's Senate chief of staff, is expected to work closely with Emanuel on White House operations and congressional affairs.
16) In addition, Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman since his 2004 Senate race, is on track to be White House press secretary.
17) Another possible top pick, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones as national security adviser, could give Obama a valuable hand in dealing with Hillary Clinton, a powerful figure who might not completely subordinate her political ambitions to those of the new president.
18) Obama feels close to Jones, aides say, and he might form an important part of the innermost circle even though the two men have not known each other as long as Obama has known Jarrett and Axelrod.
19) The task of coordinating all these efforts and bringing structure to the West Wing will fall largely to Emanuel, the fiercely competitive and sharp-tongued Chicagoan who is giving up his House leadership post to work for Obama. He is well-positioned to bridge the Obama and Clinton camps.
20) Emanuel made his political reputation as a brash young adviser to President Clinton. But his Chicago roots give him close ties to Obama and associates such as Axelrod and Jarrett.
21) One of Emanuel's biggest challenges will be regulating access to Obama and keeping him from being unduly distracted by well-meaning aides focused on their particular set of problems and ideas. Some people close to Obama think that Axelrod, Rouse, Jarrett, Gibbs and perhaps others will expect to have "walk-in" privileges at the Oval Office, meaning that at almost any time they can insist on seeing the man they have called "Barack" for years.
22) Such easy access has plagued past presidents, and Washington insiders will watch closely to see where Obama draws the line, even if it means bruising old friends' egos.
23) Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman in the Clinton White House, said the West Wing's cramped quarters and urgent business can lead to "a situation where the day becomes one rolling meeting that starts in the chief of staff's office and spills into the Oval Office."
24) The chief of staff must cope with huge amounts of chaos, tension and demands to insulate the president from all but the must important issues before him, she said.
25) Aides such as Axelrod and Gibbs probably will be able to see Obama on short notice without seeking Emanuel's permission, Palmieri said, but they certainly would inform Emanuel of their visit and its purpose.
26) "You have to establish access rules to the Oval Office up front," she said. Emanuel should be able to impose such discipline, she said, because "he's tough and direct with everyone, so no one has to take it personally."
27) Most presidents and their staffs need some time to find the right balance.
28) Bill Clinton brought to Washington several Arkansas associates, including boyhood friend Mack McLarty, his first White House chief of staff. McLarty had trouble imposing discipline on West Wing operations and was soon replaced by the no-nonsense Leon Panetta, Clinton's budget director and a former California congressman.
29) Virtually every new president surrounds himself with people he has known for years, even if they know little about the White House, Congress and the sometimes sharp-clawed worlds of Washington lobbyists and journalists. They adjust at varying rates.
30) President Jimmy Carter brought a cadre of aides from Georgia, including press secretary Jody Powell and key adviser Hamilton Jordan. They struggled at times to cope with the flood of problems and demands pouring in, and Carter famously spent time deciding who could use the White House tennis courts.
31) The current president was somewhat more successful with top aides who came with him from Texas. Karl Rove was his top political adviser for almost his entire presidency and masterminded Bush's 2004 re-election. Karen Hughes was Bush's communications and image guru in the first term.
32) Palmieri says the most successful administrations "have found an equilibrium between having staffs that are close to the president -- that he feels comfortable with and are looking out for his best interests -- with the experienced hands that can guide the ship."
33) So far, she said, Obama seems to be following that blueprint.



2008-11-23
Chicago, Clinton camps feed Obama ' s incoming team
(APW_ENG_20081123.0023)
1) Two main quarries are supplying the building blocks for President-elect Barack Obama's new administration.
2) Longtime, deeply loyal associates will dominate the White House inner sanctum. And veterans of Bill Clinton's presidency will hold vital jobs throughout the government, although a bit farther from the Oval Office.
3) The structure suggests Obama is confident enough to hand top posts to former rivals whose loyalty is not guaranteed, a strategy many presidents have avoided. But most of those on Obama's team who will have his ear everyday will be old friends and experienced advisers who are seen as having no ambitions beyond his success.
4) Obama raised eyebrows this month when he tapped some of Clinton's closest allies for important jobs.
5) John Podesta, Clinton's former White House chief of staff, is heading the transition effort. Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a former top Clinton adviser, is Obama's chief of staff. Former Clinton appointees Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano appear in line for Cabinet posts.
6) Even more startling to many, Obama has signaled plans to name former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.
7) Some Obama supporters have praised him for reaching out to his toughest primary opponent. But others question why they worked so hard to defeat Clinton only to see her, and many close to her, grab prizes in the new administration. They note that Obama repeatedly campaigned against "the politics of the past" and Washington "dramas," thinly veiled jabs at the Clinton presidency as well as President George W. Bush's tenure.
8) Stephen Hess, a George Washington University authority on presidential transitions, said Obama is playing it smart.
9) "It's easy to make a leap that this is going to be a repeat of the Clinton administration and there's no way that's going to happen," said Hess, who first worked for the Eisenhower administration.
10) Obama needs a core of Democrats with federal government experience, Hess said, and veterans of Bill Clinton's administration are virtually the only source.
11) "The old-timers are exceedingly valuable to him now," he said, but Obama "also has his own group of advisers, and he will merge the two groups."
12) That merger began taking shape last week. Obama's three "senior advisers," who will have desks near the Oval Office, are some of his closest and longest-serving allies:
13) --David Axelrod, his Chicago-based media strategist, will focus on message and communications.
14) --Valerie Jarrett, a Chicago businesswoman and close family friend, probably will concentrate on intergovernmental relations and community outreach.
15) --Pete Rouse, who was Obama's Senate chief of staff, is expected to work closely with Emanuel on White House operations and congressional affairs.
16) Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman since his 2004 Senate race, was named on Saturday as White House press secretary. Ellen Moran, the executive director of the Washington group EMILY's List, will be director of communications, and her deputy will be Dan Pfeiffer, communications director for Obama's presidential transition team.
17) Another possible top pick, retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones as national security adviser, could give Obama a valuable hand in dealing with Hillary Clinton, a powerful figure who might not completely subordinate her political ambitions to those of the new president.
18) Obama feels close to Jones, aides say, and he might form an important part of the innermost circle even though the two men have not known each other as long as Obama has known Jarrett and Axelrod.
19) The task of coordinating all these efforts and bringing structure to the West Wing will fall largely to Emanuel, the fiercely competitive and sharp-tongued Chicagoan who is giving up his House leadership post to work for Obama. He is well-positioned to bridge the Obama and Clinton camps.
20) Emanuel made his political reputation as a brash young adviser to President Clinton. But his Chicago roots give him close ties to Obama and associates such as Axelrod and Jarrett.
21) One of Emanuel's biggest challenges will be regulating access to Obama and keeping him from being unduly distracted by well-meaning aides focused on their particular set of problems and ideas. Some people close to Obama think that Axelrod, Rouse, Jarrett, Gibbs and perhaps others will expect to have "walk-in" privileges at the Oval Office, meaning that at almost any time they can insist on seeing the man they have called "Barack" for years.
22) Such easy access has plagued past presidents, and Washington insiders will watch closely to see where Obama draws the line, even if it means bruising old friends' egos.
23) Jennifer Palmieri, a spokeswoman in the Clinton White House, said the West Wing's cramped quarters and urgent business can lead to "a situation where the day becomes one rolling meeting that starts in the chief of staff's office and spills into the Oval Office."
24) The chief of staff must cope with huge amounts of chaos, tension and demands to insulate the president from all but the must important issues before him, she said.
25) Aides such as Axelrod and Gibbs probably will be able to see Obama on short notice without seeking Emanuel's permission, Palmieri said, but they certainly would inform Emanuel of their visit and its purpose.
26) "You have to establish access rules to the Oval Office up front," she said. Emanuel should be able to impose such discipline, she said, because "he's tough and direct with everyone, so no one has to take it personally."
27) Most presidents and their staffs need some time to find the right balance.
28) Bill Clinton brought to Washington several Arkansas associates, including boyhood friend Mack McLarty, his first White House chief of staff. McLarty had trouble imposing discipline on West Wing operations and was soon replaced by the no-nonsense Leon Panetta, Clinton's budget director and a former California congressman.
29) Virtually every new president surrounds himself with people he has known for years, even if they know little about the White House, Congress and the sometimes sharp-clawed worlds of Washington lobbyists and journalists. They adjust at varying rates.
30) President Jimmy Carter brought a cadre of aides from Georgia, including press secretary Jody Powell and key adviser Hamilton Jordan. They struggled at times to cope with the flood of problems and demands pouring in, and Carter famously spent time deciding who could use the White House tennis courts.
31) The current president was somewhat more successful with top aides who came with him from Texas. Karl Rove was his top political adviser for almost his entire presidency and masterminded Bush's 2004 re-election. Karen Hughes was Bush's communications and image guru in the first term.
32) Palmieri says the most successful administrations "have found an equilibrium between having staffs that are close to the president -- that he feels comfortable with and are looking out for his best interests -- with the experienced hands that can guide the ship."
33) So far, she said, Obama seems to be following that blueprint.



2008-12-17
Bush hosting lunch for Obama, living ex-presidents
(APW_ENG_20081217.1384)
1) President George W. Bush is hosting a lunch with all three living former presidents and President-elect Barack Obama next month.
2) The luncheon is set for Jan. 7. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush are coming, along with Obama.
3) Bush has made a smooth transition to the next administration one of his top priorities as his presidency winds down. Recently, White House chief of staff Josh Bolten hosted a similar event with all the living former chiefs of staff to offer advice and camaraderie to Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.
4) White House press secretary Dana Perino announced the lunch Wednesday.
5) Obama takes office at noon Jan. 20.



2008-12-22
Obama review set for Tuesday release
(APW_ENG_20081222.0631)
1) President-elect Barack Obama plans to reveal on Tuesday his staff's conversations with the Illinois governor accused of trying to sell Obama's U.S. Senate seat.
2) "We have a report," said Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "It's been ready for release for a week. We've held off at the request of the U.S. Attorney's office and that continues to be the case, though we expect to be able to release the report shortly."
3) Obama had promised to release this week the review he ordered of contacts between his aides and Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office about appointing Obama's Senate successor.
4) The president-elect is on vacation in Hawaii, but his office will go ahead with the release on Tuesday, transition officials said Monday.
5) Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. Obama has said his internal review will show that his staff had no "inappropriate" discussions with the governor or his staff about the seat.
6) Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel contacted Blagojevich's office about the appointment, according to a source close to the governor who requested anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak on the matter.
7) Blagojevich believed Emanuel was advocating Obama friend Valerie Jarrett for the Senate seat so he would not have to compete with her for Obama's attention in the White House, the source said.
8) It was not known whether Emanuel, a Chicago-area congressman, spoke to Blagojevich, his chief of staff, or both, or why the governor believed Emanuel was pushing Jarrett for the job, the source said.
9) It's also not known if any of those discussions are included in tapes investigators began making of Blagojevich's conversations in October.
10) A federal complaint charging the governor with seeking cash and favors for Obama's vacant Senate seat doesn't cite conversations with Emanuel or others on the transition staff.
11) Since Blagojevich's arrest on Dec. 9, Obama has made few public remarks about the federal claims that the governor wanted something in return to fill the Senate seat.
12) Emanuel has refused to comment on his recent interaction with Blagojevich and his staff. Emanuel succeeded Blagojevich in his House seat in 2002, when Blagojevich became governor. Emanuel also served as an informal campaign adviser to the governor and shares a mutual friend with Blagojevich who has become a key player in the criminal investigation.



2008-12-23
Obama aide had multiple talks with Governor, aides
(APW_ENG_20081223.1003)
1) An internal review prepared for Barack Obama found his incoming chief of staff had multiple conversations with the scandal-plagued Illinois governor's office, but said the talks did not involve any deal concerning whom the governor would appoint to replace Obama in the Senate.
2) The report was released Tuesday as a transition official disclosed that Obama and two of his top aides, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, have been interviewed in connection with the federal investigation into Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat.
3) The transition official, speaking on a condition of anonymity before the report's public release, also confirmed that Emanuel had been captured on wiretaps taken as part of the investigation.
4) Blagojevich was charged on Dec. 9 with plotting to use his governor's authority to appoint Obama's Senate replacement and make state appointments and contracts in exchange for cash and other favors. He has denied any criminal wrongdoing and has resisted multiple calls for his resignation, including one from Obama.
5) Incoming White House attorney Greg Craig, who conducted the internal review at Obama's request, found that the president-elect had no contact with Blagojevich or any of his staff about the Senate seat Obama vacated to take over the presidency.
6) Emanuel, Obama's pick for White House chief of staff, was the only Obama adviser to talk to Blagojevich and his top aide, John Harris, Craig found. The two men have been arrested as part of a federal corruption investigation.
7) Emanuel had one or two conversations with Blagojevich and four with Harris on the subject of the Senate seat, according to the review. The report said Obama authorized Emanuel to pass on the names of four people he considered to be highly qualified to take over his seat -- Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Illinois Veterans' Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
8) Craig revealed his findings in a memo to Obama. The memo was dated Tuesday, but a transition official said an initial copy was given to Obama on Dec. 15. On that day, Obama announced that the report was ready but that he was withholding it from public release for a week at the request of the U.S. attorneys still conducting their investigation.
9) In the meantime, the transition official said, Emanuel was interviewed by federal officials who replayed a wiretapped conversation for him. He then was able to give Craig more details about what he said, and those details were included in the final report, the transition official said. Transition officials discussed the final version with Obama on Monday as he vacationed in Hawaii.



2009-01-18
Emanuel says talks with Blagojevich appropriate
(APW_ENG_20090118.0504)
1) Barack Obama's chief of staff says Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich did not ask for anything improper in their discussions about Obama's Senate successor.
2) Aide Rahm Emanuel says he talked with Blagojevich and the governor's ex-chief of staff about the type of person who should replace Obama. But Emanuel says he never got the impression that Blagojevich wanted anything improper in return for naming a replacement.
3) The Illinois House impeached Blagojevich last week. Federal authorities have accused Blagojevich of scheming to benefit by selling Obama's old Senate seat to the highest bidder.
4) Blagojevich did appoint former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, who was sworn as a senator last week. Burris had no connection to the scandal.
5) Emanuel appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press."



2009-01-20
Obama halts pending US regulations until reviewed
(APW_ENG_20090120.1526)
1) One of President Barack Obama's first acts is to order federal agencies to halt all pending regulations until his administration can review them.
2) The order went out Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Obama was inaugurated president, in a memorandum signed by the new White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel. The notice of the action was contained in the first press release sent out by Obama's White House.
3) The waning days of former President George W. Bush's administration featured much debate over what rules and regulations he would seek to enact before he left office.



2009-03-01
Obama chief of staff criticizes ailing automakers
(APW_ENG_20090301.0597)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff is criticizing U.S. car companies for relying too long on gas guzzlers and not investing enough in alternative energy vehicles.
2) Rahm Emanuel also says the automakers have an outdated health care cost structure. He says the companies are making the kind of changes now that many people long had told them to make.
3) Obama's auto task force is trying to restructure General Motors and Chrysler by a March 31 deadline. If the administration fails to approve their turnaround plans, earlier loans could be called back and the companies could be forced into bankruptcy.
4) GM and Chrysler have received $17.4 billion in loans, and are seeking an additional $21.6 billion.
5) Emanuel spoke on CBS television.



2009-04-03
Attorneys: Emanuel was alleged extortion victim
(APW_ENG_20090403.0158)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was the congressman targeted by an alleged extortion plan described in the indictment against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to attorneys familiar with the case.
2) At the time, Emanuel was the congressman from the 5th District on Chicago's North Side. The attorneys spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the congressman isn't named in the indictment and the information is secret grand jury material.
3) The indictment says the congressman sought a $2 million grant for a school. But Blagojevich allegedly told a lobbyist to tell the lawmaker his brother would have to raise campaign funds or the grant wouldn't go through.
4) The White House declined to comment on the indictment.



2009-05-22
Obama ' s brash chief of staff reflective with grads
(APW_ENG_20090522.1024)
1) Hard-charging White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel paused for a reflective address at his alma mater Friday, describing the humiliation of being demoted by then-President Bill Clinton and the brutal illness he survived as a teenager.
2) Emanuel told 450 graduates of Sarah Lawrence College that his most important life lessons have come from "a lot of pain, some anguish, and some soul-searching."
3) Known for sharp elbows and brash words, Emanuel grew emotional, choking back tears as he recalled lying near death in a hospital bed as a teenager, fighting off a blood infection from a cut finger that later had to be partly amputated.
4) "Nearly losing my life made me want to save my life and made me want to live my life," Emanuel said, advising students, "Don't be reckless with what's been given to you."
5) He also recalled being demoted and nearly losing his role as a top aide to Clinton in 1993. "I probably shot off my mouth a few too many times and I probably picked one too many fights," Emanuel said.
6) He poked fun at the aggressive reputation that has earned him the tag "Rhambo," after the flame-throwing movie character played by Sylvester Stallone.
7) "As chief of staff, I am humbled -- a quality that does not come naturally -- by the incredible array of problems that President Obama confronts on a daily basis," he said.
8) Emanuel, 49, graduated from Sarah Lawrence in 1981. A ballet student, he attended the college in part for its strong dance program.



2009-08-31
Ousted US governor explains himself in new book
(APW_ENG_20090831.0841)
1) Ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich claims in a new book that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel wanted his help in arranging to leave the Obama administration after two years and reclaim his seat in Congress.
2) Blagojevich writes in his soon-to-be-released book, "The Governor," that Emanuel spoke with him about whether it was possible to appoint a "placeholder" to the seat so he could eventually get it back and continue his efforts to become speaker some day.
3) Blagojevich also says he wanted something in exchange for appointing President Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate.
4) The Chicago Democrat says he'd launched a plan to appoint Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to the Senate seat because he hoped to cut a deal on some pet projects with her father, the Illinois House speaker.



2009-10-18
White House official says Afghan government is key
(APW_ENG_20091018.0319)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff says the central issue that must be settled before the president makes a decision about troop levels in Afghanistan is whether there is a credible government in Kabul.
2) Rahm Emanuel says the White House plans to have additional strategy sessions on Afghanistan this week and next week. He's not giving a firm timetable for a presidential decision on how to adjust the U.S. approach to the war in Afghanistan, including whether to send additional U.S. troops.
3) Emanuel says the troop question is important. But he says the biggest issue is whether the Afghans have a legitimate and credible government that can work with the United States and other countries seeking to stabilize that country.
4) Emanuel spoke on CNN's "State of the Union."



2010-03-21
Clinton pokes fun at Dems, Republicans and himself
(APW_ENG_20100321.0096)
1) Former President Bill Clinton poked fun at Republicans, Democrats, his own health and his audience of reporters Saturday night, telling the Gridiron Club's annual dinner he was there because "I really didn't have anything much better to do tonight."
2) Clinton, who stood in for President Barack Obama, said Democrats are going to pass health care.
3) "It may not happen in my lifetime, or Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said referring to his and the former to vice president's heart ailments.
4) Obama, who's preparing for Sunday's probable House vote on health care reform, spoke to the dinner via videotape, saying that when he called Clinton to stand in for him, the former president said, "Let me clear my schedule for the next three years."
5) The dinner marked the 125th annual gathering of the Gridiron Club, whose members include Washington based reporters.
6) In another reference to his health, Clinton said his favorite cocktail now was "Lipitor on the rocks," referring to the widely prescribed blood pressure medicine.
7) He said that when Obama appeared recently on Fox News the president was "keeping his word about meeting with hostile leaders without preconditions."
8) In a poke at Obama's combative chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the former president said, "I found Rahm. I created him. I made him what he is today. I am so sorry."
9) In the 1990s, Emanuel worked in Clinton's White House.


Clinton pokes fun at Dems, Republicans and himself
(APW_ENG_20100321.0124)
1) Former President Bill Clinton poked fun at Republicans, Democrats, his own health and his audience of reporters Saturday night, telling the Gridiron Club's annual dinner he was there because "I really didn't have anything much better to do tonight."
2) Clinton, who stood in for President Barack Obama, said Democrats are going to pass health care.
3) "It may not happen in my lifetime, or Dick Cheney's, but hopefully by Easter," he said referring to his and the former to vice president's heart ailments.
4) Obama, who's preparing for Sunday's probable House vote on health care reform, spoke to the dinner via videotape, saying that when he called Clinton to stand in for him, the former president said, "Let me clear my schedule for the next three years."
5) The dinner marked the 125th annual gathering of the Gridiron Club, whose members include Washington based reporters.
6) In another reference to his health, Clinton said his favorite cocktail now was "Lipitor on the rocks," referring to the widely prescribed cholesterol-lowering medicine.
7) He said that when Obama appeared recently on Fox News the president was "keeping his word about meeting with hostile leaders without preconditions."
8) In a poke at Obama's combative chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the former president said, "I found Rahm. I created him. I made him what he is today. I am so sorry."
9) In the 1990s, Emanuel worked in Clinton's White House.



2010-04-11
Ahead of nuclear talks, Obama sees foreign leaders
(APW_ENG_20100411.0607)
1) President Barack Obama has begun a series of meetings with foreign leaders who have come to Washington for his nuclear security conference.
2) The first to arrive for talks at Blair House across from the White House was India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh. Obama walked across Pennsylvania Avenue with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
3) At the conference Monday and Tuesday, representatives of 47 countries will try to come up with an agreement on how to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorists' hands.


Ahead of nuclear talks, Obama sees foreign leaders
(APW_ENG_20100411.0638)
1) President Barack Obama has begun a series of meetings with foreign leaders who have come to Washington for his nuclear security conference.
2) The first to arrive for talks at Blair House across from the White House was India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh. Obama walked across Pennsylvania Avenue with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
3) After that, it was time for Kazakhstan's president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
4) At the conference Monday and Tuesday, representatives of 47 countries will try to come up with an agreement on how to keep nuclear weapons out of terrorists' hands.



2010-05-24
WH chief of staff in Israel for son ' s bar mitzvah
(APW_ENG_20100524.0392)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff is in Israel to celebrate his son's bar mitzvah but some Israelis are displeased at the visit.
2) Rahm Emanuel is facing antipathy from ultranationalists who believe he's behind a U.S. demand to halt West Bank settlement construction.
3) Pro-settler activist Itamar Ben Gvir says he and his peers will protest Emanuel's visit.
4) Media on Monday flocked to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in expectation of 13-year-old Zach Emanuel's coming of age ceremony.
5) But after the Emanuels were not seen at the Wall, there was speculation the family might have chosen a less public venue because of the possible protests.
6) The older Emanuel is expected to meet with top Israeli officials despite the visit's private nature.



2010-05-25
Obama aide in Israel to meet with Israeli leaders
(APW_ENG_20100525.0791)
1) White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is meeting with top Israeli leaders this week.
2) The White House says Emanuel will meet Wednesday in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for informal talks about a range of issues concerning the two countries. Emanuel and his family are scheduled to visit Thursday with President Shimon Peres.
3) Emanuel is in Israel to celebrate his son Zach's bar mitzvah.



2010-05-26
Israeli prime minister to visit White House
(APW_ENG_20100526.0742)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff has invited the Israeli prime minister to the White House next week.
2) Israeli officials say the meeting will take place on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wraps up a previously scheduled visit to Canada.
3) White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel extended the invitation during a meeting with the Israeli leader in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Emanuel is in the country on a private visit.
4) Emanuel said the talks would focus on "shared security interests," a likely reference to the Iranian nuclear issue.
5) The two leaders are also likely to discuss Israel-Palestinian peace efforts. The sides recently launched U.S.-mediated indirect peace talks.



2010-06-02
Lawyers say Emanuel subpoenaed in Blagojevich case
(APW_ENG_20100602.1339)
1) Attorneys close to the case say that lawyers for Rod Blagojevich have subpoenaed White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel as a witness at the former Illinois governor's corruption trial.
2) The trial is due to get under way Thursday. Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. He has pleaded not guilty.
3) The attorneys spoke on condition of anonymity, saying the subpoena was not public. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
4) The indictment says Blagojevich ordered an associate to pressure Emanuel, then a congressman, to have his brother raise campaign funds and threatened to withhold a state grant for a school in Emanuel's district. Nothing in the indictment suggests Emanuel was ever threatened.



2010-06-19
White House chief: Yacht trip another gaffe by BP
(APW_ENG_20100619.0489)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff says BP chief executive Tony Hayward has committed yet another in a "long line of PR gaffes" but attending a yacht race in England while the Gulf oil spill disaster continues.
2) Hayward faced a fresh avalanche of criticism as news circulated Saturday that he was at a yacht competition around the Isle of Wight.
3) White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is mocking Hayward's infamous statement that he wishes the crisis were over so could have his life back.
4) Referring to the yachting, Emanuel tells ABC television's "This Week," "He's got his life back, as he would say."
5) Emanuel says the focus should stay on capping the leaking well and helping the people of the Gulf region.



2010-06-20
Emanuel links fall elections to Reps support of BP
(APW_ENG_20100620.0378)
1) President Barack Obama's chief of staff is warning about what might happen if Republicans -- who have defended BP over the Gulf oil spill -- were to run Congress after the fall election.
2) Rahm Emanuel says the Republican philosophy is to paint BP as the victim. He says Obama will make clear to voters the fundamental differences in how each party would govern.
3) Emanuel tells ABC television's "This Week" it would be "dangerous" if the Republicans held power in Washington.
4) He says Republican lawmakers and candidates are attacking the administration for demanding that BP set up a $20 billion compensation fund.
5) Last week, Rep. Joe Barton apologized to BP for what he called a White House "shakedown." The Texas Republican later stepped back from those remarks.


Aide: Obama wants to seize chance on Mideast peace
(APW_ENG_20100620.0393)
1) President Barack Obama's latest White House meeting with Israel's prime minister is set for July 6 -- more than a month after their last one was scuttled at the last minute.
2) Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu had planned talks on June 1. But that fell apart after Israel's deadly raid May 31 on a flotilla hoping to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
3) The raid has strained U.S.-Israeli relations, and the White House has announced a $400 million aid package for Gaza and the West Bank.
4) Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, tells ABC television's "This Week" that Obama has been clear about the need "to seize this moment of opportunity" to make peace -- addressing Israeli security and Palestinians' hopes for their own state.



2010-06-24
Blagojevich trial an unwanted headache for Obama
(APW_ENG_20100624.0035)
1) The corruption trial of ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- for allegedly trying to sell President Barack Obama's own Senate seat -- is a distant but unwelcome headache for the White House.
2) While Obama hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, nor have his allies, top administration aides have now been subpoenaed to testify. And Obama already has many other problems -- from the Gulf oil spill to the economy -- in what is also a tough congressional election year.
3) Obama's political opponents will certainly try to tie the president to Blagojevich's alleged shenanigans in appointing a Senate replacement from a state with notoriously corrupt politics.
4) They'll have plenty of opportunities.
5) White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and close adviser Valerie Jarrett have been subpoenaed, attorneys close to the case and White House officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Emanuel's subpoena was not public and the investigation is ongoing. Also, Emanuel is reportedly on FBI wiretaps. Convicted influence peddler Tony Rezko, a fundraiser for both Obama and Blagojevich, may be called to testify. And Blagojevich insists that Obama has "direct knowledge" related to the allegations involving the Senate seat.
6) "Anyone in Illinois politics, especially Illinois Democratic politics, should be nervous if, in fact, Rod Blagojevich goes on the stand because he is the human equivalent of an unguided political missile," said Paul Green, who teaches politics at Chicago's Roosevelt University.
7) The former governor's lawyers say he will indeed testify at the trial, which began June 3 and is expected to last three to four months.
8) But Democratic consultant Chris Lehane says Blagojevich has credibility issues, and predicts that although it may get messy at times, Obama won't suffer long-term damage because of the trial.
9) "At the end of the day, the White House has a lot bigger things to be concerned about," Lehane said.
10) For their part, White House officials say they are watching the trial play out and monitoring how it is being covered in the news. But they're adamant in their assertion that they are bystanders to a political drama that started in the hours after Obama won the White House.
11) Still, Democrats in Washington quietly worry that images of Emanuel and other high-profile Obama allies will replay for weeks as Republicans paint the administration as a tool of the Chicago political machine. For now, the White House hopes its officials dodge the stain and voters -- picking senators, governors and the entire 435-member House in November -- make their choices based on key issues, not his fellow Chicago Democrats.
12) Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to enrich himself by attempting to sell or trade the Senate seat Obama relinquished when he won the White House in 2008. Prosecutors say Blagojevich was hoping for an Obama Cabinet post, money or a high-paying job for him or his wife. He's also accused of trying to wring campaign contributions from people in exchange for state action.
13) Emanuel and Jarrett aren't the only ones close to Obama who could take the stand. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has been subpoenaed too. He has said he talked to Blagojevich once about possible Senate replacements.
14) It's not clear what might come out if Emanuel and Jarrett take the witness stand. Obama authorized Emanuel to pass along to Blagojevich's office the names of potential Senate replacements. Jarrett had been mentioned as a possible choice but withdrew her name to go to work for Obama in Washington.
15) But Emanuel apparently has been willing to swap favors before with Blagojevich. Newly disclosed e-mails show Emanuel, then an Illinois congressman, agreed in 2006 to sign a letter to a newspaper supporting the embattled governor. Then his staff urged Blagojevich to release a delayed $2 million grant to a school in his district.
16) Emanuel's conversations about the Senate seat have been called "totally appropriate and acceptable" by former White House counsel Greg Craig, who conducted an internal inquiry for Obama shortly after the election about contacts between the presidential transition team and Blagojevich.
17) The then-governor ultimately appointed Democrat Roland Burris, who later opted not to run for a full term of his own. Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, Democratic Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and the Green Party's LeAlan Jones are now vying for the seat.
18) Blagojevich's trial will expose the underside of Illinois politics and that won't jibe with the reformist image that helped Obama get elected, said Republican strategist Kevin Madden, a former campaign aide to presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
19) "The major concern for those watching in the White House is that this ... is like an old, worn sweater with a loose thread and then when you pull the thread it all unravels and it reveals kind of the Chicago machine of Democrat politics," Madden said.
20) Obama's swift rise, though, did not come from the Chicago political machine. While he couldn't ignore it, he tried to keep himself apart from it.



2010-09-08
Spokesman: Top Obama aide will weigh mayoral run
(APW_ENG_20100908.0691)
1) White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says that being mayor of Chicago is not something that rolls around often and he is sure a top aide to President Barack Obama will take some time to weigh his options.
2) Gibbs told reporters Wednesday that Chicago is a city you can fall in love with, but right now Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is focused on his job.
3) Emanuel has made no secret of wanting to run for Chicago mayor one day. But he was surprised along with everyone else when the job came open when longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley announced his retirement this week.
4) Gibbs said he had not spoken with Emanuel and he was not sure if Emanuel had talked with the president. Emanuel formerly represented Chicago in Congress.



2010-09-09
Obama: Emanuel would be ' terrific ' Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20100909.0332)
1) President Barack Obama says his chief of staff would make a "terrific mayor" of Chicago. But Obama says he expects Rahm Emanuel to hold off on deciding whether to enter the race until after the midterm elections.
2) Emanuel has long expressed interest in running for Chicago mayor one day. The job came open when longtime Mayor Richard M. Daley announced his retirement this week.
3) In an interview, Obama told ABC that his chief of staff has got a lot to do, and when Emanuel has a job to do, "he focuses on the job in front of him."
4) Emanuel represented Chicago in Congress before going to work for Obama.
5) The interview was taped Wednesday for broadcast Thursday.



2010-09-28
Emanuel decision near; likely to leave White House
(APW_ENG_20100928.0054)
1) White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, widely expected to leave the White House to make a long coveted run for Chicago mayor, could make an announcement on his decision as soon as Friday, a source close to him said.
2) Emanuel has not made a final decision, said the person familiar with Emanuel's thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity for that reason. The dominant factor at this point is the impact the move and the campaign would have on Emanuel's wife and three young children, who live with him in Washington, the source said.
3) Should Emanuel leave the White House, Obama is expected to choose an interim chief of staff. That's likely to be Peter Rouse, one of Obama's senior advisers in the White House and his former chief of staff in the Senate.
4) Emanuel long has expressed interest in running for Chicago mayor; the incumbent, Richard Daley, isn't running again.
5) Even President Barack Obama acknowledges Emanuel would have to leave soon, should he choose to run, to set up his campaign for the mayoral race in 2011.


Emanuel faces hurdles if coming home to Chicago
(APW_ENG_20100928.0975)
1) Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff to President Barack Obama, is widely expected to announce a decision about his candidacy within days and recently called the tenants renting his home on Chicago's North Side and asked them to move out so he could move back in, a spokesman and close friend said Tuesday.
2) But the couple said no. They extended their lease until next year just days before Mayor Richard Daley announced he wouldn't seek re-election, spokesman Rick Jasculca said, and told Emanuel they don't want to leave.
3) The unsuccessful pitch is a concrete on-the-ground signal Emanuel is leaning toward leaving the Obama administration for a mayoral run, and points to a key hurdle he'll face if he does. The one-time congressman needs to convince Chicago voters he's not just a Washington big shot with a reputation for ruthless politics, but still one of them.
4) "There is nothing in his history to show he wanted to be mayor or that this was his dream job. If there were ... he would have been involved in local activities, organizations, spoken out about violence," said political consultant Delmarie Cobb, who was press secretary for the Democratic National Convention in 1996 and the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential bid.
5) While Emanuel has been at the center of major national issues, that's not what brings voters out for local races, said Chicago-based national pollster Michael McKeon.
6) "Rahm negotiated with Israel but if the other guy is the one who got your alley paved, what do you think is more important?" McKeon said.
7) Emanuel could announce whether he's running as soon as Friday, a person familiar with his thinking said this week. But prospective opponents already are hinting at plans to exploit his reputation as an outsider more comfortable in Congress than City Hall, an abrasive take-no-holds political operative who once sent a dead fish to a pollster and peppers his sentences with profanities to make a point.
8) It's a reputation that has been celebrated in Washington, famously so in 2005 when at a roast of Emanuel, Obama joked that an accident in which Emanuel lost part of his middle finger "rendered him practically mute." But it could draw derision at home.
9) The stories of Emanuel's hard charging tactics, particularly after he led the national Democrats' campaign to win back a majority in the U.S. House in 2006, have distorted his image, Jasculca said.
10) "Sometimes a folklore emerges about people that sort of takes on a life of its own," he said. "I've known Rahm for pretty close to a quarter century and this is a solid Chicago family guy who is as Chicago as the Chicago Bears are."
11) Nobody argues Emanuel would not be a formidable candidate give his experience, name recognition and fundraising capabilities, but he has no ready-made army of volunteers ready to hit Chicago streets on his behalf.
12) "He's never had a personal organization," said political analyst Don Rose, who noted Emanuel's election to Congress in 2002 he aided by political organizations loyal to Daley. In effect, Emanuel borrowed them, Rose said.
13) "Most of those don't really owe him any loyalty," he said. In fact, "He knows many of these people but they don't necessarily like him," Rose added.
14) It's those people Emanuel has to reach out to, and fast, if he really wants to get in the mayoral race.
15) "He has to meet with the core of people who don't like him and charm them and let them go out and spread the word that he's not that bad, he's very considerate (he's) got Chicago in his heart," said June Rosner, a public relations consultant long involved with Chicago politics.
16) And when confronted with Emanuel's hard-nosed reputation, Rosner said those supporters need to respond: "'Listen, we want a tough mayor.'"



2010-09-30
AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0698)
1) Two people close to Rahm Emanuel say he will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday, and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor by meeting with voters in the city on Monday.
2) The people who are familiar with Emanuel's plans spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt his announcement.
3) The people say Emanuel will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday to talk with voters. They say Emanuel also will launch a website with a message to Chicago voters.
4) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced he would not seek re-election earlier this month.


AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0793)
1) Rahm Emanuel will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor by meeting with voters in the city on Monday, two sources familiar with Emanuel's plans said.
2) The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, said Thursday that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.
3) "He intends to run for mayor," one of the people told The Associated Press.
4) Both people said they did not know when Emanuel would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.
5) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced this month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
6) Daley, who has held the mayor's job since 1989 and carried on a family dynasty, surprised many with his announcement. The choice for Emanuel suddenly became whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of uprooting his family again and quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
7) When he ultimately announces his candidacy, Emanuel instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates. Already with well over $1 million in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
8) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who has made a name for himself in the Chicago area for suing Craigslist, among other things; former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; at least one state senator and a city alderman.
9) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.
10) A number of possible candidates, including Moseley Braun, Davis, Meeks and Dart, are in the process of collecting the 12,500 signatures necessary to win a spot on the February ballot.
11) Those running against Emanuel are sure to label him an outsider, and Emanuel will counter by stressing his ties to the city, particularly his tenure in Congress representing the district that includes Chicago's North Side.
12) In Washington, Emanuel's departure, though expected by the political world for days now, is still an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. The job comes with nearly unrivaled pressure and power.
13) Obama is expected to install senior adviser Pete Rouse, a calm White House presence with his own seasoned understanding of how Washington works, to serve as interim chief of staff. The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
14) Top contenders are Rouse, deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, according to aides close to the president.


AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0800)
1) Rahm Emanuel will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor by meeting with voters in the city on Monday, two sources familiar with Emanuel's plans said.
2) The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, said Thursday that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.
3) "He intends to run for mayor," one of the people told The Associated Press.
4) Both people said they did not know when Emanuel would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.
5) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday. It's widely expected to be about the chief of staff. Gibbs would not confirm the report that Emanuel is resigning.
6) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced this month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
7) Daley, who has held the mayor's job since 1989 and carried on a family dynasty, surprised many with his announcement. The choice for Emanuel suddenly became whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of uprooting his family again and quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
8) When he ultimately announces his candidacy, Emanuel instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates. Already with well over $1 million in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
9) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who has made a name for himself in the Chicago area for suing Craigslist, among other things; former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; at least one state senator and a city alderman.
10) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.
11) A number of possible candidates, including Moseley Braun, Davis, Meeks and Dart, are in the process of collecting the 12,500 signatures necessary to win a spot on the February ballot.
12) Those running against Emanuel are sure to label him an outsider, and Emanuel will counter by stressing his ties to the city, particularly his tenure in Congress representing the district that includes Chicago's North Side.
13) In Washington, Emanuel's departure, though expected by the political world for days now, is still an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. The job comes with nearly unrivaled pressure and power.
14) Obama is expected to install senior adviser Pete Rouse, a calm White House presence with his own seasoned understanding of how Washington works, to serve as interim chief of staff. The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
15) Top contenders are Rouse, deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, according to aides close to the president.


AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0805)
1) Rahm Emanuel will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor by meeting with voters in the city on Monday, two sources familiar with Emanuel's plans said.
2) The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, said Thursday that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.
3) "He intends to run for mayor," one of the people told The Associated Press.
4) Both people said they did not know when Emanuel -- one of President Barack Obama's top advisers -- would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.
5) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday. It's widely expected to be about the chief of staff. Gibbs would not confirm the report that Emanuel is resigning.
6) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced this month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
7) Daley, who has held the mayor's job since 1989 and carried on a family dynasty, surprised many with his announcement. The choice for Emanuel suddenly became whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of uprooting his family again and quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
8) When he ultimately announces his candidacy, Emanuel instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates. Already with well over $1 million in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
9) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who has made a name for himself in the Chicago area for suing Craigslist, among other things; former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; at least one state senator and a city alderman.
10) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.
11) A number of possible candidates, including Moseley Braun, Davis, Meeks and Dart, are in the process of collecting the 12,500 signatures necessary to win a spot on the February ballot.
12) Those running against Emanuel are sure to label him an outsider, and Emanuel will counter by stressing his ties to the city, particularly his tenure in Congress representing the district that includes Chicago's North Side.
13) In Washington, Emanuel's departure, though expected by the political world for days now, is still an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. The job comes with nearly unrivaled pressure and power.
14) Obama is expected to install senior adviser Pete Rouse, a calm White House presence with his own seasoned understanding of how Washington works, to serve as interim chief of staff. The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
15) Top contenders are Rouse, deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, according to aides close to the president.


AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0850)
1) One of President Barack Obama's top advisers, Rahm Emanuel, will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor within days, two sources familiar with Emanuel's plans said.
2) The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, said Thursday that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.
3) "He intends to run for mayor," one of the people told The Associated Press.
4) Both people said they did not know when Emanuel would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.
5) In Washington, Emanuel's departure would be an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. The job comes with nearly unrivaled pressure and power.
6) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday. It's widely expected to be about the chief of staff, but Gibbs would not confirm the reports that Emanuel is resigning.
7) The president is expected to install senior adviser Pete Rouse, a calm White House presence with his own seasoned understanding of how Washington works, to serve as interim chief of staff. The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
8) Top contenders are Rouse, deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, according to aides close to the president.
9) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced this month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
10) Daley, who has held the mayor's job since 1989 and carried on a family dynasty, surprised many with his announcement. The choice for Emanuel suddenly became whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of uprooting his family again and quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
11) When Emanuel ultimately announces his candidacy, he instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates. Already with well over $1 million in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
12) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who has made a name for himself in the Chicago area for suing Craigslist, among other things; former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; at least one state senator and a city alderman.
13) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.
14) A number of possible candidates, including Moseley Braun, Davis, Meeks and Dart, are in the process of collecting the 12,500 signatures necessary to win a spot on the February ballot.
15) Those running against Emanuel are sure to label him an outsider, and Emanuel will counter by stressing his ties to the city, particularly his tenure in Congress representing the district that includes Chicago's North Side.


AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20100930.0888)
1) One of President Barack Obama's top advisers, Rahm Emanuel, will resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and will begin his campaign for Chicago mayor within days, two sources familiar with Emanuel's plans said.
2) The two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement, said Thursday that he will return to Chicago over the weekend and begin touring neighborhoods on Monday.
3) "He intends to run for mayor," one of the people told The Associated Press.
4) Both people said they did not know when Emanuel would make an official announcement about his mayoral bid but that he would launch a website with a message to Chicago voters in the near future.
5) In Washington, Emanuel's departure would be an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. The job comes with nearly unrivaled pressure and power.
6) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday. It's widely expected to be about the chief of staff, but Gibbs would not confirm the reports that Emanuel is resigning.
7) The president is expected to install senior adviser Pete Rouse, a calm White House presence with his own seasoned understanding of how Washington works, to serve as interim chief of staff. Gibbs said the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse, though he wouldn't confirm Rouse had been tapped for the interim post.
8) The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections. Top contenders are Rouse, deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon and Ron Klain, the chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, according to aides close to the president.
9) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation both in Chicago and Washington, D.C. ever since Mayor Richard Daley announced this month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
10) Daley, who has held the mayor's job since 1989 and carried on a family dynasty, surprised many with his announcement. The choice for Emanuel suddenly became whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of uprooting his family again and quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
11) When Emanuel ultimately announces his candidacy, he instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates. Already with well over $1 million in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
12) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, who has made a name for himself in the Chicago area for suing Craigslist, among other things; former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun; at least one state senator and a city alderman.
13) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.
14) A number of possible candidates, including Moseley Braun, Davis, Meeks and Dart, are in the process of collecting the 12,500 signatures necessary to win a spot on the February ballot.
15) Those running against Emanuel are sure to label him an outsider, and Emanuel will counter by stressing his ties to the city, particularly his tenure in Congress representing the district that includes Chicago's North Side.



2010-10-01
AP Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20101001.0010)
1) One of President Barack Obama's top advisers, Rahm Emanuel, is expected to resign as White House chief of staff on Friday and begin his campaign for Chicago mayor within days.
2) As Obama prepared for what his spokesman called a "personal announcement" on Friday, word circulated that Obama likely would tap another top staffer as Emanuel's interim replacement -- Pete Rouse.
3) Rouse, 64, was Obama's chief of staff when he served in the U.S. Senate.
4) And while Rouse doesn't have Emanuel's larger-than-life personality -- or taste for colorful invective and aggressive political combat -- he's seen as a highly knowledgeable insider who quietly gets things done.
5) Unlike Emanuel, Rouse rarely talks to the media.
6) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation ever since Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, the 50-year-old Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
7) In Washington, Emanuel's departure will be an unquestioned loss for Obama. The president has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
8) Other top officials also have announced their departures in recent weeks, including budget director Peter R. Orszag, who left in late July, and economist Lawrence Summers, who will leave his post as director of the National Economic Council at the end of the year.
9) Such turnover isn't unusual two years into a presidential term, but it comes as Obama's Democratic Party is facing serious challenges in the November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party in the House and Senate could force Obama to make more changes in his staff.
10) Emanuel's plan to resign was disclosed by two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
11) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday.
12) Gibbs said that the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse -- but he wouldn't confirm that Rouse had been tapped for the interim appointment.
13) The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
14) Rouse has gained the respect and trust of key lawmakers during three decades on Capitol Hill, where he sometimes was referred to as the 101st Senator during years serving as chief of staff to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.
15) Now, although Rouse is one of the least-visible members of Obama's senior staff, he's seen as a steady hand who can guide the White House through an unsettled period with difficult midterm elections looming and other staff changes on the horizon.
16) "Pete has been with senator-elect, senator, president-elect and now President Obama. There is a complete loyalty and trust with somebody like Pete," Gibbs said.
17) Rouse, who is unmarried, was raised on the East Coast, graduated from Colby College and later got degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's known for his fondness for cats.
18) With Daley's unexpected announcement that he would not run for the mayor's post again, Emanuel suddenly was faced with the choice whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
19) When Emanuel ultimately announces his candidacy, he instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates.
20) With well over $1 million already in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
21) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, and at least one state senator and a city alderman.
22) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.


Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20101001.0137)
1) One of President Barack Obama's top advisers, Rahm Emanuel, is expected to resign as White House chief of staff Friday to begin his campaign for Chicago mayor within days, and his departure will be an unquestioned loss for the president.
2) Obama has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. As the president prepared for what his spokesman called a "personal announcement" Friday, word circulated that he likely would tap another top staffer as Emanuel's interim replacement -- Pete Rouse.
3) Rouse, 64, was Obama's chief of staff when he served in the U.S. Senate.
4) And while Rouse doesn't have Emanuel's larger-than-life personality -- or taste for colorful invective and aggressive political combat -- he's seen as a highly knowledgeable insider who quietly gets things done.
5) Unlike Emanuel, Rouse rarely talks to the media.
6) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation ever since Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, the 50-year-old Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
7) Other top officials also have announced their departures in recent weeks, including budget director Peter R. Orszag, who left in late July, and economist Lawrence Summers, who will leave his post as director of the National Economic Council at the end of the year.
8) Such turnover isn't unusual two years into a presidential term, but it comes as Obama's Democratic Party is facing serious challenges in the November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party in the House and Senate could force Obama to make more changes in his staff.
9) Emanuel's plan to resign was disclosed by two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
10) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday.
11) Gibbs said that the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse -- but he wouldn't confirm that Rouse had been tapped for the interim appointment.
12) The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
13) Rouse has gained the respect and trust of key lawmakers during three decades on Capitol Hill, where he sometimes was referred to as the 101st Senator during years serving as chief of staff to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.
14) Now, although Rouse is one of the least-visible members of Obama's senior staff, he's seen as a steady hand who can guide the White House through an unsettled period with difficult midterm elections looming and other staff changes on the horizon.
15) "Pete has been with senator-elect, senator, president-elect and now President Obama. There is a complete loyalty and trust with somebody like Pete," Gibbs said.
16) Rouse, who is unmarried, was raised on the East Coast, graduated from Colby College and later got degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's known for his fondness for cats.
17) With Daley's unexpected announcement that he would not run for the mayor's post again, Emanuel suddenly was faced with the choice whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
18) When Emanuel ultimately announces his candidacy, he instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates.
19) With well over $1 million already in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
20) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, and at least one state senator and a city alderman.
21) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.


Sources: Emanuel leaving White House on Friday
(APW_ENG_20101001.0143)
1) One of President Barack Obama's top advisers, Rahm Emanuel, is expected to resign as White House chief of staff Friday to begin his campaign for Chicago mayor within days, and his departure will be an unquestioned loss for the president.
2) Obama has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive. But as the president prepared for what his spokesman called a "personal announcement" Friday, word circulated that he likely would tap another top staffer as Emanuel's interim replacement -- Pete Rouse.
3) Rouse, 64, was Obama's chief of staff when he served in the U.S. Senate.
4) And while Rouse doesn't have Emanuel's larger-than-life personality -- or taste for colorful invective and aggressive political combat -- he's seen as a highly knowledgeable insider who quietly gets things done.
5) Unlike Emanuel, Rouse rarely talks to the media.
6) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation ever since Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, the 50-year-old Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor.
7) Other top officials also have announced their departures in recent weeks, including budget director Peter R. Orszag, who left in late July, and economist Lawrence Summers, who will leave his post as director of the National Economic Council at the end of the year.
8) Such turnover isn't unusual two years into a presidential term, but it comes as Obama's Democratic Party is facing serious challenges in the November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party in the House and Senate could force Obama to make more changes in his staff.
9) Emanuel's plan to resign was disclosed by two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
10) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday.
11) Gibbs said that the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse -- but he wouldn't confirm that Rouse had been tapped for the interim appointment.
12) The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
13) Rouse has gained the respect and trust of key lawmakers during three decades on Capitol Hill, where he sometimes was referred to as the 101st Senator during years serving as chief of staff to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.
14) Now, although Rouse is one of the least-visible members of Obama's senior staff, he's seen as a steady hand who can guide the White House through an unsettled period with difficult midterm elections looming and other staff changes on the horizon.
15) "Pete has been with senator-elect, senator, president-elect and now President Obama. There is a complete loyalty and trust with somebody like Pete," Gibbs said.
16) Rouse, who is unmarried, was raised on the East Coast, graduated from Colby College and later got degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's known for his fondness for cats.
17) With Daley's unexpected announcement that he would not run for the mayor's post again, Emanuel suddenly was faced with the choice whether he would make a dash for the political job he has openly coveted, at a cost of quitting his post of national influence sooner than he thought.
18) When Emanuel ultimately announces his candidacy, he instantly becomes the most recognizable name in what is already a crowded field of candidates and possible candidates.
19) With well over $1 million already in his war chest and his well documented ability to raise huge amounts of money for political candidates around the country, Emanuel"s campaign would be extremely well funded.
20) Other possible candidates include Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, and at least one state senator and a city alderman.
21) A number of African Americans besides Moseley Braun are considering running, including Rep. Danny Davis and James Meeks, a state senator and prominent black minister. Black ministers, politicians and others have discussed throwing their support behind a single candidate.


Sources: Key adviser Emanuel leaving White House
(APW_ENG_20101001.0477)
1) President Barack Obama is expected to announce Friday that Rahm Emanuel, the relentless enforcer of his agenda as White House chief of staff, will resign to run for mayor of Chicago.
2) The departure of one of Obama's advisers will be an unquestioned loss for the president. Obama has counted on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
3) But as the president prepared for what his spokesman called a "personnel announcement" Friday, word circulated that he likely would tap another top staffer as Emanuel's interim replacement -- Pete Rouse.
4) Rouse, 64, was Obama's chief of staff when he served in the U.S. Senate.
5) And while Rouse doesn't have Emanuel's larger-than-life personality -- or taste for colorful invective and aggressive political combat -- he's seen as a highly knowledgeable insider who quietly gets things done.
6) Unlike Emanuel, Rouse rarely talks to the media.
7) Emanuel's plans have been the source of widespread speculation ever since Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he would not seek re-election. In an April television interview, the 50-year-old Emanuel had called it "no secret" he'd like to run for mayor of the country's third-largest city.
8) Other top officials also have announced their departures in recent weeks, including budget director Peter R. Orszag, who left in late July, and economist Lawrence Summers, who will leave his post as director of the National Economic Council at the end of the year.
9) Such turnover isn't unusual two years into a presidential term, but it comes as Obama's Democratic Party is facing serious challenges in the November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party in the House and Senate could force Obama to make more changes in his staff.
10) Emanuel's plan to resign was disclosed by two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
11) Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday in Washington that the president will make a personnel announcement Friday.
12) Gibbs said that the president has "complete loyalty and trust" in Rouse -- but he wouldn't confirm that Rouse had been tapped for the interim appointment.
13) The president is likely to choose a permanent chief of staff after the Nov. 2 congressional elections.
14) Rouse has gained the respect and trust of key lawmakers over three decades; he sometimes was referred to as the 101st senator in the 100-seat chamber during his years serving as chief of staff to former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.
15) Now, although Rouse is one of the least-visible members of Obama's senior staff, he's seen as a steady hand who can guide the White House through an unsettled period with difficult congressional elections looming and other staff changes on the horizon.
16) "Pete has been with senator-elect, senator, president-elect and now President Obama. There is a complete loyalty and trust with somebody like Pete," Gibbs said.
17) Rouse, who is unmarried, was raised on the East Coast, graduated from Colby College and later got degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's known for his fondness for cats.


Obama announces Emanuel ' s exit as chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20101001.0662)
1) President Barack Obama has formally announced the departure of his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, praising him as "extraordinarily well-qualified" for his new challenge -- a run for mayor of Chicago.
2) Emanuel's replacement, at least for the interim, is Obama senior adviser Pete Rouse, who also stood at Obama's side for the high-profile send-off Friday at the White House.
3) The departure of one of Obama's key advisers will be an unquestioned loss for the president. He relied on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
4) Obama called it a "bittersweet moment," adding that "we could not have accomplished what we accomplished without Rahm's leadership."


Emanuel out, Rouse in as chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20101001.0686)
1) President Barack Obama on Friday said a bittersweet goodbye to the energetic and fierce manager of his White House, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and elevated a quiet and seasoned adviser, Pete Rouse, to the most important gate-keeping job in American politics.
2) The departure of one of Obama's key advisers is an unquestioned loss for the president. Obama has relied on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
3) Other top aides to Obama have announced their departures in recent weeks and such personnel moves are not unusual two years into a presidential term. But they come as Obama's Democratic Party is facing serious challenges in November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party in the House and Senate could force Obama to make more changes in his staff.
4) "We could not have accomplished what we've accomplished without Rahm's leadership," Obama said. Emanuel is departing after nearly two grueling years to run for Chicago mayor.
5) The announcement was such a poorly kept secret that Obama joked it was "the least suspenseful announcement of all time," but it represented an important moment of transition for the presidency.
6) The mood at the White House reflected that this was no ordinary staff change. Cabinet members and senior staff members packed the ornate East Room, a setting often reserved for visits of heads of state, for the official word that Emanuel, the hard-charging leader of the staff, was on his way out.
7) Rouse, named interim chief of staff, is a calm, trusted senior adviser to Obama who has spent much of his career as a chief of staff in the Senate. Unlike Emanuel, he rarely talks to the press.
8) "There is a saying around the White House: `Let's let Pete fix it,'" Obama said.


Emanuel out, Rouse in as chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20101001.0707)
1) President Barack Obama on Friday freed his hard-charging chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to run for mayor of Chicago, replacing the famously raucous White House gatekeeper with Pete Rouse, as quiet and low-key as his predecessor was boisterous.
2) The ceremonial changing of the guard marked a clear loss for Obama, who relied heavily on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
3) "We could not have accomplished what we've accomplished without Rahm's leadership," Obama said. Emanuel is departing after nearly two grueling, rough-and-tumble years in Washington, where the political atmosphere has become increasingly and bitterly partisan.
4) Other top aides to Obama have announced their departures in recent weeks, as the Obama presidency reaches its midpoint. Those kinds of personnel moves are not unusual two years into a presidential term.
5) Now, however, the changes occur with Obama's Democratic Party facing serious challenges in November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party -- broadly expected -- in the House of Representatives and Senate could signal a much wider White House shake-up.
6) The announcement that Emanuel was leaving was such a poorly kept secret that Obama joked it was "the least suspenseful announcement of all time," but it represented an important moment of transition for the presidency.
7) The mood at the White House reflected that this was no ordinary staff change. Cabinet members and senior staff members packed the ornate East Room, a setting often reserved for visits of heads of state, for the official word that Emanuel, the hard-charging leader of the staff, was on his way out.
8) Rouse, named interim chief of staff, is a calm, trusted senior adviser to Obama who has spent much of his career as a chief of staff in the Senate. Unlike Emanuel, he rarely talks to the press.
9) "There is a saying around the White House: `Let's let Pete fix it,'" Obama said.


Emanuel out as White House chief of staff
(APW_ENG_20101001.0783)
1) President Barack Obama on Friday freed his hard-charging chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to run for mayor of Chicago, replacing the White House gatekeeper with Pete Rouse, as quiet and low-key as his predecessor was boisterous.
2) The ceremonial changing of the guard marked a clear loss for Obama, who relied heavily on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused and aggressive.
3) "We could not have accomplished what we've accomplished without Rahm's leadership," Obama said. Emanuel is departing after nearly two grueling, rough-and-tumble years in Washington, where the political atmosphere has become increasingly and bitterly partisan.
4) Other top aides to Obama have announced their departures in recent weeks, as the Obama presidency reaches its midpoint. Those kinds of personnel moves are not unusual two years into a presidential term.
5) Now, however, the changes occur with Obama's Democratic Party facing serious challenges in November congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party -- broadly expected -- in the House of Representatives and Senate could signal a much wider White House shake-up.
6) The announcement that Emanuel was leaving was such a poorly kept secret that Obama joked it was "the least suspenseful announcement of all time," but it represented an important moment of transition for the presidency.
7) The mood at the White House reflected that this was no ordinary staff change. Cabinet members and senior staff members packed the ornate East Room, a setting often reserved for visits of heads of state, for the official word that Emanuel, the hard-charging leader of the staff, was on his way out.
8) Rouse, named interim chief of staff, is a calm, trusted senior adviser to Obama who has spent much of his career as a chief of staff in the Senate. Unlike Emanuel, he rarely talks to the press.
9) "There is a saying around the White House: `Let's let Pete fix it,'" Obama said.



2010-10-02
Obama names new chief of staff, Emanuel quits
(APW_ENG_20101002.0012)
1) President Barack Obama's feisty chief of staff left the administration just weeks before critical congressional elections, a move that could presage an even greater White House turnover should Democrats do as poorly as predicted in the coming vote.
2) Rahm Emanuel headed immediately for Chicago, Illinois, his hometown, where he planned to run for mayor, a position he has coveted publicly.
3) The White House chief of staff sets the tone for the executive branch's operations and can, in principle, be seen as largely responsible for success or failure of presidential policy directives. As gatekeeper, the person who holds the chief of staff position manages the president's time and has a major role in decisions about access to the president.
4) In Emanuel's case, given that he had been a high ranking member of the Illinois delegation in the House of Representatives, he also played a crucial legislative liaison role for Obama. He was a central figure in pushing the president's legislative agenda through one of the most bitterly divided congresses in recent history.
5) The hard-charging and famously profane Emanuel was replaced Friday by Pete Rouse, a man as quiet and low-key as his predecessor was boisterous and blunt.
6) The ceremonial changing of the guard in the glittering White House East Room was a clear loss for Obama, who relied heavily on Emanuel's intensity, discipline and congressional relationships to keep the White House focused.
7) Other top aides to Obama already had announced their departure in recent weeks, as the Obama presidency reached its midpoint. Those kinds of personnel moves are not unusual two years into a presidential term.
8) The changes occur, however, with Obama's Democratic Party facing serious challenges in the Nov. 2 congressional elections. Widespread losses by the party, broadly expected in both the House of Representatives and Senate, could signal a much wider White House shake-up.
9) The mood at the announcement reflected that this was no ordinary staff change. Cabinet members and senior staff members packed the room, a setting often reserved for visiting heads of state.
10) Rouse, the interim replacement, is a calm, trusted senior adviser to Obama who has spent much of his career as a chief of staff in the Senate. Unlike Emanuel, he rarely talks to the press.
11) "There is a saying around the White House: `Let's let Pete fix it,'" Obama said.
12) Through the ceremony and befitting his style, Rouse stood quietly by the president and never spoke. Obama described him as never seeing a television camera or a microphone that he liked, unlike the boisterous Emanuel.



2010-10-03
Emanuel: He ' s preparing to run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101003.0554)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel says he's preparing to run for mayor of Chicago.
2) Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted Sunday on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com.
3) The announcement has been expected since Emanuel resigned from President Barack Obama's staff Friday and headed immediately for Chicago.
4) Emanuel says in the video that he's launching a listening tour of Chicago's neighborhoods and will visit transit stops, grocery stores and hot dog stands.
5) One of the challenges facing him in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington.
6) Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the two-minute message, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress.


Emanuel: He ' s preparing to run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101003.0564)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday that he's preparing to run for mayor of Chicago, a position it was widely known he has long desired.
2) Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted Sunday on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com. He had been careful not to launch his candidacy from Washington and headed to Chicago immediately after President Barack Obama announced his aide's resignation Friday.
3) In the video, Emanuel said he's launching a listening tour of Chicago's neighborhoods and will visit transit stops, grocery stores and hot dog stands.
4) One of the challenges facing him in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington.
5) Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the two-minute video, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress.
6) Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he will not seek a seventh term.


Emanuel: He ' s preparing to run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101003.0591)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday that he's preparing to run for mayor of Chicago, a position it was widely known he has long desired.
2) Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted Sunday on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com. He had been careful not to launch his candidacy from Washington and headed to Chicago immediately after President Barack Obama announced his resignation Friday.
3) In the video, Emanuel said he's launching a "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour of Chicago.
4) "As I prepare to run for mayor, I'm going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighborhoods -- at grocery stores, L stops, bowling alleys, and hot dog stands," Emanuel said.
5) The two-minute video shows a relaxed Emanuel sitting behind a desk wearing a white shirt that's open at the collar and a dark jacket. Behind him is a photo of his family and several books.
6) One of the challenges facing him in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington. Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the video, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress before serving as Obama's chief of staff.
7) "It was a great honor to work for (Obama), but I'm glad to be home," Emanuel said.
8) Mayor Richard Daley announced last month he will not seek a seventh term.
9) Emanuel joins a crowded field of Democrats who have announced they're running for mayor or hinted at it. Among them are Gery Chico, the Chicago School Board president and a close Daley ally; Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, and State Sen. James Meeks, who's also the pastor of a South Side church.
10) Before Emanuel's announcement Sunday, Chico called on him to release details about his dealings with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration in regard to the U.S. Senate seat once held by Obama.
11) Blagojevich will be retried next year on federal charges that he schemed to sell the seat. His first trial ended in a mistrial. Emanuel was not called to testify and hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing.


Emanuel: He ' s preparing to run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101003.0701)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel announced Sunday that he's preparing to run for mayor of Chicago, a position widely known as being one he has long desired.
2) Emanuel made the announcement in a video posted Sunday on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com. He had been careful not to launch his candidacy from Washington and headed to Chicago immediately after his resignation was announced by President Barack Obama on Friday.
3) In the video, Emanuel said he's embarking on a "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour of Chicago.
4) "As I prepare to run for mayor, I'm going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighborhoods -- at grocery stores, L stops, bowling alleys, and hot dog stands," Emanuel said.
5) The two-minute video shows a relaxed Emanuel sitting behind a desk wearing a white shirt that's open at the collar and a dark jacket. Behind him is a photo of his family and several books.
6) In making the announcement in a YouTube video, Emanuel appears to be following in the online footsteps of Obama, who was successful in galvanizing support among younger voters with a strong Internet presence and near constant contact through text messages, e-mails and Facebook notes.
7) Emanuel's website offers several options for receiving updates, including e-mail and text, and nearly 12,000 Facebook users had "liked" his page by Sunday afternoon.
8) Lori Goldberg, an Emanuel spokeswoman, said the online video was an attempt to reach as many people as possible. Emanuel plans to make "a more formal announcement" after the November election.
9) "By having the website up, it also allows people to communicate with him," Goldberg said.
10) Some political analysts said the online approach will work for some voters but not all.
11) "This is going to be a Generation X campaign with Facebook, Twitter and all that ... but you should never forget the power of friend talking to friend, neighbor talking to neighbor," said Tom Manion, a longtime political operative who directed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's first re-election campaign in 1991.
12) Indeed, one of the challenges facing Emanuel in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington. Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the video Sunday, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress before serving as Obama's chief of staff.
13) "It was a great honor to work for (Obama), but I'm glad to be home," Emanuel said.
14) Daley announced last month he will not seek a seventh term.
15) Emanuel joins a crowded field of Democrats who have announced they're running for Chicago mayor or hinted at it. Among them are Chicago School Board president and close Daley ally Gery Chico, Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and State Sen. James Meeks, who's also the pastor of a South Side Chicago church.
16) Before Emanuel's announcement Sunday, Chico called on him to release details about his dealings with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration in regard to the U.S. Senate seat once held by Obama.
17) Blagojevich will be retried next year on federal charges that he schemed to sell the seat after his first trial ended in a mistrial. Emanuel was not called to testify and hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing.
18) Del Valle said in a statement before Emanuel's announcement that he welcomes "all candidates to the race and look forward to a spirited campaign."
19) "This is the first time in 67 years that there is an open seat, and a crowded field will ignite interest and give voters choice," del Valle said.



2010-10-04
Emanuel to get reacquainted with Chicago
(APW_ENG_20101004.0455)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel began his campaign for mayor of Chicago in earnest on Monday, greeting commuters at a downtown elevated train station.
2) "Hi, how are you? Good to see you. Have a nice day," Emanuel said to commuters on the first stop of his "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour.
3) Emanuel, who stepped down as President Barack Obama's top aide Friday to run for mayor, was greeted warmly by commuters, some of whom took his picture with cell phone cameras.
4) "I like how he's talking to everybody," said Maria Martinez, a 21-year-old Chicagoan heading downtown for a sales job.
5) Emanuel will certainly be characterized by opponents as an outsider after his time in Washington, D.C., but Martinez said she sees him as a fellow Chicagoan.
6) "I still say he's from Chicago," she said. "He's here, isn't he."
7) Emanuel announced his "Tell It Like It Is" tour over the weekend on a new website, ChicagoforRahm.com. In a video posted on that site, he said he plans to make plenty of stops around the city.
8) In making the announcement in a YouTube video, Emanuel appears to be following in the online footsteps of Obama, who was successful in galvanizing support among younger voters with a strong Internet presence and near constant contact through text messages, e-mails and Facebook notes.
9) Emanuel's website offers several options for receiving updates, including e-mail and text, and more than 15,000 Facebook users had "liked" his page by Monday morning.
10) Lori Goldberg, an Emanuel spokeswoman, said the online video was an attempt to reach as many people as possible. Emanuel plans to make "a more formal announcement" after the November election.
11) "By having the website up, it also allows people to communicate with him," Goldberg said.
12) Indeed, one of the challenges facing Emanuel in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington. Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the video Sunday, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress before serving as Obama's chief of staff.
13) "It was a great honor to work for (Obama), but I'm glad to be home," Emanuel said.
14) Emanuel's website says his family's home is in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. But a tenant recently re-signed a lease for the home, leaving Emanuel to rent a condo closer to downtown, Goldberg said.
15) Emanuel joins a crowded field of local Democrats who have announced or hinted that they're running after Mayor Richard M. Daley, whose father also was a longtime Chicago mayor, announced last month that he would not seek a seventh term.


Emanuel hits Chicago streets, makes case for mayor
(APW_ENG_20101004.0641)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel began campaigning for Chicago mayor on Monday with the standard fare -- greeting surprised commuters at a downtown train station, listening to their ideas for improving the city and posing for cell phone photos.
2) But in announcing his candidacy on YouTube and launching a campaign Facebook page, Emanuel signaled he'd also be using a strategy he helped craft to such great effect for his former boss, President Barack Obama, by galvanizing support among young voters through near constant contact via online postings, text messages and e-mails.
3) With a small army of television news crews in tow, Emanuel engaged commuters at a downtown elevated train station and asked them for their support. He leaned in close when they spoke and appeared to concentrate on what they were telling him.
4) And by and large, they were telling him he had their support in the election next year.
5) "I know he's a good politician," said Frederick Childress, a 58-year-old retired Chicago Housing Authority employee who plans to vote for Emanuel. "He was a good White House chief of staff. He's for the people."
6) Maria Martinez, 21, who was heading to her sales job, dismissed the talk she's heard about Emanuel as an outsider.
7) "I still say he's from Chicago," she said. "He's here, isn't he?"
8) But quietly, there were signs of some of the hurdles Emanuel has to overcome, some of the perceptions of him that he has to get past if he is to have a chance at becoming mayor.
9) One man, for example, muttered that Emanuel was a political "fixer" who "sold out" liberal Democrats when he joined Obama's administration.
10) And while most messages on his new Facebook page were positive, there were also some from people who were skeptical or downright hostile toward Emanuel.
11) Some were critical of his role in the Obama administration. Others wondered if he was more concerned about landing himself a job than he was for the city. And some suggested that after being away from Chicago for so long, he was ineligible to run for mayor -- an argument that one city elections official said is likely without merit.
12) Emanuel seemed to recognize that his job, at least now, is to reconnect with the city. On a video in his newly minted website, ChicagoforRahm.com, he said he plans to make plenty of stops around the city.
13) "As I prepare to run for mayor, I'm going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighborhoods -- at grocery stores, L stops, bowling alleys and hot dog stands," Emanuel said. "I want to hear from you -- in blunt Chicago terms -- what you think about our city, and how the next mayor and you can make it better."
14) On Monday morning, Emanuel was dressed much as he was in the two-minute video in which he sat at a desk wearing a white shirt with an open collar and a dark jacket. Behind him is a photo of his family and several books.
15) Emanuel's website offers several options for receiving updates, including e-mail and text, and more than 15,000 Facebook users had "liked" his page by Monday morning.
16) Lori Goldberg, an Emanuel spokeswoman, said the online video was an attempt to reach as many people as possible. Emanuel plans to make "a more formal announcement" after the November election.
17) "By having the website up, it also allows people to communicate with him," Goldberg said.
18) Bruce Newman, professor of marketing at DePaul University, called the online announcement "a clever move."
19) "(Emanuel's) ability to communicate via the social media will be critical to his success," Newman said. "The voter in today's world is tuning in to a whole different level of communication."
20) But other political analysts said the online approach won't work for all voters.
21) "This is going to be a Generation X campaign with Facebook, Twitter and all that ... but you should never forget the power of friend talking to friend, neighbor talking to neighbor," said Tom Manion, a longtime political operative who directed Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's first re-election campaign in 1991.
22) Indeed, one of the challenges facing Emanuel in a mayoral run is reconnecting with Chicago voters after his time in Washington. Emanuel highlighted his ties to Chicago in the video Sunday, noting his three terms representing a North Side district in Congress before serving as Obama's chief of staff.
23) "It was a great honor to work for (Obama), but I'm glad to be home," Emanuel said.
24) Emanuel's website says his family's home is in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. But a tenant recently re-signed a lease for the home, leaving Emanuel to rent a condo closer to downtown, Goldberg said.
25) She said his three children will stay in Washington to finish the school year.
26) Daley announced last month that he would not seek a seventh term as mayor.
27) Emanuel joins a crowded field of local Democrats who have announced or hinted that they're running.


Emanuel hits Chicago streets, makes case for mayor
(APW_ENG_20101004.0924)
1) Last week, Afghanistan. This week, parents protesting the proposed demolition of a park field house.
2) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel hit the campaign trail on Monday and got a sudden taste of the vastly different agenda he'd face as Chicago's mayor -- and the hurdles he must overcome to be elected.
3) A day after unveiling his campaign on a new Website, Emanuel hit the streets, vowing to "hear from Chicagoans -- in blunt and honest terms" what they want from their next mayor. Many were happy just to shake hands, exchange hugs, or drink coffee with President Barack Obama's hard-charging former right hand man.
4) But he also faced skepticism about his intentions, loyalties and whether he even has the legal right to run to lead a city he hasn't lived in for nearly two years. A few of his potential rivals also surfaced in public, though they insisted it had nothing to do with him.
5) The blunt talk during one part of Emanuel's visit to a bustling street in the mostly Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood was that he wasn't listening enough.
6) There, a group of parents protesting the planned demolition of a park field house briefly surrounded Emanuel's car. They said he'd promised to talk with them on the sidewalk, but instead, after entering a restaurant to shake hands with patrons, he quickly headed to his car without stopping.
7) Michelle Palencia, whose 6-year-old son attends a school that uses the field house as a library, said the group confronted Emanuel because no one else is listening.
8) "He said, 'I promise,'" Palencia said. "That's all we've been hearing is promises."
9) Palencia said Emanuel did say he would call her -- and she will be waiting.
10) Skeptics and well-wishers alike greeted Emanuel as he campaigned at a downtown train station, a South Side restaurant and along Pilsen's busy 18th Street.
11) Outside Izola's restaurant, a bastion for Chicago's black leaders and a favorite of the city's first black mayor, Harold Washington, a fair number of curiosity seekers said they'd never even heard of Emanuel.
12) Inside, treated to a $13 breakfast with Emanuel, a trio of local men told him their concerns -- unemployment, education, crime.
13) "He's going to have to convince us he's going to make a difference," said diner Paul Bryson, 46, a bathroom remodeler.
14) Paul Johnson, a construction worker who used Emanuel's visit to the restaurant to protest jobs going to illegal immigrants, said it was no accident that there were no black community leaders in sight.
15) "They're sending a message by not being here," said Johnson, 49, who is black.
16) Emanuel told the man, "We've got to develop the community, invest in the community."
17) One thing Emanuel may have in his favor as he looks for votes among South Side black voters is his connection to Obama, who once worked as a community activist in the area and remains immensely popular there.
18) "A segment of the population will just support Rahm based on Rahm's affiliation with Barack Obama," said local minister Ira Acree.
19) But added Acree, who is not an Emanuel supporter, "Our job is to educate (voters) that Rahm is not the second coming of Barack Obama, that what they're thinking is based on irrational logic."
20) With a small army of television news crews in tow, Emanuel leaned in close to make eye-to-eye small talk with many who greeted him, as if trying to shake off the Washington insider mantle and remind voters he's a local boy.
21) Maria Martinez, 21, who hugged Emanuel at the train station on her way to her sales job downtown, said she will vote for him and dismissed the Washington talk.
22) "I still say he's from Chicago," she said. "He's here, isn't he?"
23) Frederick Childress, a 58-year-old retired Chicago Housing Authority employee who also plans to vote for Emanuel, said, "He was a good White House chief of staff. He's for the people."
24) While most messages on Emanuel's new campaign Facebook page were positive, there were also some from people who were skeptical or downright hostile.
25) Some were critical of his role in the Obama administration. Others wondered if he was more concerned about landing himself a job than he was for the city. And some suggested that after being away from Chicago for so long, he was ineligible to run for mayor -- an argument that one city elections official said is likely without merit.
26) Emanuel joins a crowded field of Democrats who have announced or hinted that they're running. Among them are Chicago School Board president and close Daley ally Gery Chico, Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and state Sen. James Meeks, who's also the pastor of a South Side church.
27) Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, also considering a mayoral run, visited one of the same South Side eateries as Emanuel on Monday and also was filmed talking with voters, but a spokeswoman said the overlap was a coincidence.
28) Braun had been planning her own listening tour of the city's South Side for weeks to solidify her base, a spokeswoman said, and has been quietly building support among business and community leaders since mid-September.
29) One other potential rival didn't sound overly worried about Emanuel.
30) Speaking at the Cook County Jail to official launch of a new laundry operation staffed by jailed military veterans, Dart told reporters on Monday that he was presently focused on his own family and his current job serving Chicago -- not Emanuel.
31) "My time is spent on my family and my job," he said. "What he does or what he doesn't do, what his strong points, weak points are -- are really not going to be the thing that determines what I do at all."



2010-10-08
Obama: Jones departing as security adviser
(APW_ENG_20101008.0779)
1) President Barack Obama is announcing the resignation of retired Gen. James Jones as his national security adviser, the second high-level staff change at the White House in as many weeks.
2) Obama says deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon will take over.
3) Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Obama said he has relied every day on Jones' advice and counsel.
4) Last Friday, also in the Rose Garden, Obama announced the departure of his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.



2010-11-11
Emanuel to formally announce run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101111.0036)
1) A campaign aide says former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel plans to formally announce his plans to run for Chicago mayor later this week.
2) The aide confirmed the plans to The Associated Press Wednesday evening, speaking on condition of anonymity because he didn't want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement planned for Saturday at a North Side school.
3) Emanuel resigned from the White House last month and has been gathering signatures, raising funds and campaigning throughout Chicago.
4) Mayor Richard Daley announced in September that he won't seek a seventh term.


Emanuel to formally announce run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101111.0054)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel plans to make official this weekend what everyone already knows: He's running for mayor of Chicago.
2) An Emanuel campaign aide confirmed the plans to The Associated Press on Wednesday evening. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn't want to pre-empt Emanuel's announcement planned for Saturday.
3) Emanuel resigned from the White House last month and has since been gathering signatures, raising funds and campaigning throughout the Chicago area.
4) He plans to make his announcement at Coonley Elementary School on Chicago's North Side, which is in the same congressional district Emanuel once represented, the aide said.
5) Candidates who want to run in the February election must submit petitions with more than 12,000 signatures by Nov. 22.
6) Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced in September that he wouldn't seek a seventh term.
7) Since then, a slew of candidates have surfaced as potential successors.



2010-11-13
Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101113.0530)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has made it official: he's running for mayor of Chicago.
2) Emanuel made the announcement Saturday at a school on the city's North Side. He represented that area in Congress before taking the job at the White House.
3) Emanuel's announcement was no surprise. He has been actively campaigning in Chicago since he stepped down from his job in the Obama administration. He resigned shortly after Mayor Richard Daley announced he would not run for re-election.
4) Emanuel is one of about a half dozen candidates who have either formally announced or are about to.
5) State Sen. James Meeks and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis have similar events scheduled Sunday.


Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101113.0538)
1) Rahm Emanuel officially announced Saturday what everyone has known since he quit his job as White House chief of staff, hugged President Barack Obama and returned to Chicago: He's running for mayor.
2) To the surprise of no one, Emanuel, who has long talked about his desire to be mayor, told a packed auditorium at a school on Chicago's North Side that he is a candidate to succeed retiring Mayor Richard Daley. The election is Feb. 22.
3) Emanuel represented the city's North Side in Congress before he went to the White House. He has been actively campaigning in the city since his return about two months ago. He also has been courting donors who can add to the $1.2 million left from his congressional campaign fund.
4) Emanuel is one of about a half dozen candidates who have either formally announced or are about to.
5) State Sen. James Meeks and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis have similar events scheduled Sunday, and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun is expected to announce in the next week or so. Former city schools President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle have already declared they're running.
6) But Emanuel has emerged as the front-runner, in part because of his money and national profile and because other high-profile candidates, such as Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, have dropped out.


Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101113.0560)
1) Rahm Emanuel officially announced Saturday what everyone has known since he quit his job as White House chief of staff, hugged President Barack Obama and returned to Chicago: He's running for mayor.
2) To the surprise of no one, Emanuel, who has long talked about his desire to be mayor, told a packed auditorium at a school on Chicago's North Side that he is a candidate to succeed retiring Mayor Richard Daley. The election is Feb. 22.
3) Emanuel represented the city's North Side in Congress before he went to the White House. He has been actively campaigning in the city since his return about two months ago.
4) "Only the opportunity to help President Obama as his chief of staff could have pried me away from here," Emanuel said Saturday. "And only the opportunity to lead this city could have pried me away from the president's side."
5) Since his return, Emanuel also has been courting donors who can add to the $1.2 million left from his congressional campaign fund.
6) Emanuel is one of about a half dozen candidates who have either formally announced or are about to.
7) State Sen. James Meeks and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis have similar events scheduled Sunday, and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun is expected to announce in the next week or so. Former city schools President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle have already declared they're running.
8) But Emanuel has emerged as the front-runner, in part because of his money and national profile and because other high-profile candidates, such as Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, have dropped out.
9) During his announcement speech, Emanuel pledged not to raise taxes and to award city contracts to the lowest bidder.
10) "Our first responsibility is to make the tough choices that have been avoided too long because of politics and inertia," he said.


Emanuel formally announces run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101113.0667)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel officially announced Saturday that he is running for mayor of Chicago, a post that only recently opened up with Mayor Richard M. Daley's surprise announcement that he wouldn't seek a seventh term.
2) Emanuel, speaking to supporters packing an elementary school auditorium on the city's North Side, promised to fight any tax increases for city residents.
3) "We cannot ask taxpayers for more when families are struggling to stay afloat in this economy," he said. "We cannot price Chicagoans out of their homes, their schools and their communities."
4) Emanuel, who's been campaigning unofficially since he left the White House weeks ago, made some other common political promises as well: to fight crime, create jobs, improve education and make government accessible to residents.
5) He promised that before the Feb. 22 election he would make three speeches outlining specific ideas in education, crime and gangs, and the city's finances.
6) Emanuel is one of about a half dozen candidates who have either formally announced or are about to.
7) State Sen. James Meeks and U.S. Rep. Danny Davis have similar events scheduled Sunday, and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun is expected to announce in the next week or so. Former city schools President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle have already declared they're running.
8) Emanuel addressed what has already been a contention by other candidates -- that he's an outsider. He talked of how his grandfather came to Chicago from Europe, how Emanuel was born and raised in Chicago and how he and his wife are raising their family here as well.
9) "Only the opportunity to help President Obama as his chief of staff could have pried me away from here," Emanuel said. "And only the opportunity to lead this city could have pried me away from the president's side."
10) Emanuel represented the city's North Side in Congress before he went to the White House. Since his return, Emanuel also has been courting donors who can add to the $1.2 million left from his congressional campaign fund.
11) He praised Daley but also hinted at mistakes the city has made under him.
12) "We cannot keep putting off hard choices and hoping things will get better, while drawing down each year on rapidly diminishing reserves."
13) Emanuel has made no secret of his interest in running for mayor, saying in an April television interview that if Daley, the mayor since 1989, ever decided to step down he'd be interested in running. While Emanuel lives in Washington, he did not sell his house in Chicago, choosing to rent it out.



2010-12-14
Emanuel testifies in Chicago residency hearing
(APW_ENG_20101214.0533)
1) Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has told a Chicago election commission hearing about many personal items that he says he left behind in Chicago when he moved to Washington.
2) Emanuel testified Tuesday about whether he's eligible to run for mayor of Chicago. He is defending himself against objectors who say he shouldn't be on the Feb. 22 ballot. Emanuel testified that when he went to Washington he left his family's "most valuable possessions" in Chicago.
3) Both Emanuel and his campaign have said he planned to return and pointed to those items as evidence.
4) Opponents say Emanuel isn't eligible because he lived in Washington for nearly two years. But Emanuel's attorneys say he owns a home, pays property taxes and votes in Chicago.


Emanuel testifies in Chicago residency hearing
(APW_ENG_20101214.0611)
1) Rahm Emanuel told elections officials on Tuesday that when he went to work as the White House chief of staff almost two years ago, he left his family's "most valuable possessions" at his Chicago home, showing he always intended to move back.
2) Emanuel was testifying at a Chicago Board of Election Commissioners hearing called after his residency was challenged to keep him off February's mayoral ballot. He said he left behind baby clothes, his wife's wedding dress, photo albums and family china. His supporters have long said these are not the kind of things anyone would simply abandon.
3) Emanuel talked about one of his most cherished possessions at the house -- a coat his grandfather bought for his father in the 1950s.
4) "It's the only possession I still have from my grandfather," Emanuel said.
5) Emanuel took the stand to defend himself against more than two dozen objectors who say he isn't eligible to run for mayor because he lived in Washington for nearly two years while working for Obama.
6) Emanuel's attorneys dismiss challenges to his residency, saying he owns a home, pays property taxes and votes in Chicago.
7) Emanuel appeared relaxed and was soft spoken, nothing like his fiery public reputation. He even joked at times. When one of his income tax returns was shown on a screen, Emanuel quipped "it does call for tax reform I'll tell you that."


Emanuel testifies in Chicago residency hearing
(APW_ENG_20101214.0761)
1) Former Obama aide Rahm Emanuel, testifying at a hearing called after his residency was challenged to keep him off February's mayoral ballot, told elections officials on Tuesday that when he went to work as the White House chief of staff almost two years ago, he left behind his family's "most valuable possessions" at his Chicago home, showing he always intended to move back.
2) He said he left behind baby clothes, his wife's wedding dress, photo albums and family china. His supporters have long said these are not the kind of things anyone would simply abandon.
3) Emanuel talked about one of his most cherished possessions at the house -- a coat his grandfather bought for his father in the 1950s.
4) "It's the only possession I still have from my grandfather," Emanuel said.
5) Emanuel took the stand to defend himself against more than two dozen objectors who say he isn't eligible to run for mayor because he lived in Washington for nearly two years while working for Obama.
6) Emanuel's attorneys dismiss challenges to his residency, saying he owns a home, pays property taxes and votes in Chicago.
7) The stakes couldn't be higher for Emanuel, who left his job as President Barack Obama's chief of staff for the chance to replace Chicago's longtime mayor, Mayor Richard Daley.
8) During Tuesday's hearing, Emanuel appeared relaxed and was soft spoken, nothing like his fiery public reputation. He even joked at times. When one of his income tax returns was shown on a screen, Emanuel quipped "it does call for tax reform I'll tell you that."
9) The former Chicago congressman was expected to face hours of questioning from lawyers and some of the more than two dozen people without lawyers who challenged his mayoral bid.
10) Emanuel testified the rent for his home on Chicago's North Side is $4,995 a month.
11) Emanuel said that in September, days before Mayor Richard Daley announced he wasn't going to run for a seventh term, he extended the lease on the home to its tenant until June. Emanuel explained he wanted his children to complete the school year in Washington without disruption.
12) Emanuel said he called the tenant, Rob Halpin, and attempted to buy out the lease and pay moving expenses, but Halpin declined.
13) Halpin then decided to run for Chicago mayor, but dropped out citing the challenges of running for office.
14) Emanuel has moved back to Chicago, but is living elsewhere.



2010-12-15
Chicago residents quiz Emanuel over eligibility
(APW_ENG_20101215.0038)
1) Rahm Emanuel, who left a powerful job with President Barack Obama at the White House to move back to Chicago and run for mayor, endured hours of questioning on Tuesday over his residency -- all intent on keeping his name off the ballot.
2) Testifying before a Chicago election board official during a hearing that was sometimes funny, contentious and downright strange, Emanuel defended himself against claims by opponents who say he is not eligible to run for mayor in February's election because he moved out of the city to take a job as Obama's White House chief of staff.
3) Speaking in a quiet voice, his hands clasped before him and a photograph of his family in front of him, the former White House chief of staff looked and sounded nothing like a politician widely known for his tough, take-no-prisoners and often profane style.
4) He appeared relaxed and smiled easily, once joking as his income tax returns were shown on the screen in the room that, "It does call for tax reform, I'll tell you that."
5) And he laughed when one of his questioners, a community activist dressed in a T-shirt, signaled that he was out of questions when he joked, "Have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"
6) "I enjoyed that," Emanuel said.
7) But Emanuel also addressed the issue of his leaving Chicago with what his attorneys and supporters believe is powerful evidence that he fully intended to return to the Windy City.
8) He listed the family's "most valuable possessions" that he left in his house after he and his family moved to Washington, D.C., in 2009, including his wife's wedding dress, clothes his children wore home from the hospital just after they were born, photographs, his children's report cards and their drawings.
9) He made special note of leaving behind a coat that his grandfather gave his father a half century ago.
10) "It's the only possession I still have from my grandfather," he said.
11) And he repeatedly came back to a theme he has been sounding throughout his campaign to succeed the retiring Mayor Richard Daley: He only left his job as a Chicago congressman and moved his family to Washington to work for the president.
12) "The only reason I no longer put my head down in that house is the president of the United States at a time of crisis asked me to serve as chief of staff," he said.
13) Emanuel, who knows that if his name is allowed on the ballot he will have to battle opponents' argument that he is not really a Chicagoan like them, tried throughout the hearing to draw a distinction between his life in the two cities. He repeatedly used phrases like "back home to Chicago," and when he talked about his residence in Washington, it was always a "rental property."
14) But opponents of Emanuel's candidacy who claim he forfeited his residency when he moved and rented out his house on the city's North Side, argue that none of that matters. They say that the law is clear: To run for mayor, a person has to be a resident of the city for a year prior to election day and Emanuel, who moved back to Chicago in October simply does not qualify.
15) During the hearing, they peppered Emanuel with questions about his income tax returns, driver's license, voting record and car registration that were designed to suggest he was no longer a resident of Chicago.
16) But Emanuel, as he said throughout his campaign, told the attorneys about how he registered to vote from Chicago and voted absentee, did not sell his house and continued to pay Illinois taxes.
17) He also responded to opponents' contention that by renting his house he was no longer a resident of the city, explaining that he and his wife did so on the recommendation of real estate professionals "for the safety and security of the house."


Emanuel testifies in Chicago residency hearing
(APW_ENG_20101215.0110)
1) Rahm Emanuel, who left a powerful job with President Barack Obama at the White House to move back to Chicago and run for mayor, endured nearly 12 hours of questioning Tuesday from everyone from attorneys to a woman named Queen Sister -- all intent on keeping his name off the ballot.
2) Testifying before a Chicago election board official during a hearing that was sometimes funny, contentious and downright strange, Emanuel defended himself against claims by opponents who say he is not eligible to run for mayor in February's election because he moved out of the city to take a job as Obama's White House chief of staff.
3) Speaking in a quiet voice, his hands clasped before him and a photograph of his family in front of him, Emanuel looked and sounded nothing like a politician widely known for his tough, take-no-prisoners and often profane style.
4) Throughout the day, he appeared relaxed and smiled easily, once joking as his income tax returns were shown on the screen in the room that, "It does call for tax reform, I'll tell you that."
5) And he laughed when one of his questioners, a community activist, signaled he was out of questions when he joked, "Have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?"
6) "I enjoyed that," Emanuel said.
7) But Emanuel also addressed the issue of his leaving Chicago with what his attorneys and supporters believe is powerful evidence he fully intended to return.
8) He listed the family's "most valuable possessions" that he left in his house after he and his family moved to Washington, D.C., in 2009, including his wife's wedding dress, clothes his children wore home from the hospital just after they were born, photographs, his children's report cards and their drawings.
9) He made special note of leaving behind a coat that his grandfather gave his father a half century ago.
10) "It's the only possession I still have from my grandfather," he said.
11) He repeatedly came back to a theme he has been sounding throughout his campaign to succeed the retiring Mayor Richard Daley: He only left his job as a Chicago congressman and moved his family to Washington to work for the president.
12) After about nine hours of testimony, Emanuel began taking questions from his own attorneys.
13) He testified he never thought about making any place other than Chicago his permanent home and said "it never crossed" his mind that he might not satisfy the residency requirement to run for mayor.
14) "Having been a congressman elected four separate times, having been born here, having raised my kids here, having owned a home in the city of Chicago . the only reason, the only reason I left the city of Chicago was to take an appointment at the request of the President of the United States to serve as his chief of staff," he said.
15) Emanuel, who knows that if his name is allowed on the ballot he will have to battle opponents' argument that he is not really a Chicagoan like them, tried throughout the hearing to draw a distinction between his life in the two cities. He repeatedly used phrases like "back home to Chicago," and when he talked about his residence in Washington, it was always a "rental property."
16) But opponents of Emanuel's candidacy, who claim he forfeited his residency when he moved and rented out his house on the city's North Side, argue none of that matters. They say the law is clear: To run for mayor, a person has to be a resident of the city for a year prior to election day and Emanuel, who moved back to Chicago in October, simply does not qualify.
17) During the hearing, they peppered Emanuel with questions about his income tax returns, driver's license, voting record and car registration that were designed to suggest he was no longer a Chicago resident.
18) But Emanuel, as he has said throughout his campaign, talked about how he registered to vote from Chicago and voted absentee, did not sell his house and continued to pay Illinois taxes.
19) He also responded to opponents' contention that by renting his house he was no longer a resident of the city, explaining that he and his wife did so on the recommendation of real estate professionals "for the safety and security of the house."
20) The hearing got progressively stranger as the day went on and the attorneys gave way to Chicago residents who filed objections to his candidacy. One of those, a man named Jeffrey Joseph Black, had fellow objectors shaking their heads when he asked Emanuel if he caused the 1993 siege at Waco, Texas, or knew about his supposed FBI file called "Project Mega" or "Mega File."
21) Another, a woman named Zakiyyah Muhammad, wanted to know what role Emanuel played in the U.S. Agriculture Department's request that Shirley Sherrod leave her job as Georgia's director of rural development after comments she made in March were misconstrued as racist.
22) The hearing officer ruled Emanuel did not have to answer those questions, saying they were inappropriate.
23) The hearing was expected to continue into Tuesday night and on Wednesday. Also scheduled to testify is Rob Halpin, the man who rented Emanuel's house and refused to break the lease so he could move back in. Halpin made headlines when his refusal became public and with his own short-lived run for mayor, which he abandoned a few weeks ago.
24) A decision will be made within days because officials have said they need to settle on the list of candidates well before the Feb. 22 election.



2010-12-17
Emanuel ' s hearing for Chicago mayoral bid over
(APW_ENG_20101217.0056)
1) A hearing over residency challenges to former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's mayoral bid in Chicago has ended after three days of testimony.
2) The matter will likely be decided next week. A hearing officer is expected to make a recommendation on whether Emanuel's name should be on the ballot before Thursday's Chicago Board of Election Commissioners meeting.
3) The board will decide on the case.
4) Residency has taken center stage in Emanuel's bid to get on the Feb. 22 ballot.
5) More than two dozen opponents say he doesn't have a legal right to run because he doesn't meet the one-year residency requirement.
6) Emanuel lived for nearly two years in Washington working for President Barack Obama.
7) He says the move was temporary for the job and that's why he rented but didn't' sell his Chicago home.



2010-12-22
Chicago panel ready to decide if Emanuel on ballot
(APW_ENG_20101222.0729)
1) The Chicago panel that will decide whether former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's name is allowed on the February ballot for mayor is still awaiting a recommendation from its hearing officer.
2) The non-binding recommendation was expected Wednesday but hadn't been made by late afternoon.
3) A Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesman says the panel still plans to make a decision Thursday -- with or without the recommendation from the officer who heard testimony about residency challenges to Emanuel's candidacy.
4) Opponents say Emanuel doesn't have a legal right to run because he lived in Washington for nearly two years while working for President Barack Obama.
5) Emanuel contends he didn't forfeit his residency because he still owns a home in Chicago, pays property taxes and votes there.



2010-12-23
Hearing officer: Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101223.0250)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel cleared an important hurdle in his bid to be Chicago mayor early Thursday when a hearing officer recommended his name appear on the February ballot.
2) The decision was made even though Emanuel spent much of the last two years living in Washington working for President Barack Obama.
3) The ruling, which still needs final approval from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, is a political win for Emanuel because it could help him silence critics who have persistently argued he isn't a Chicago resident. The board is scheduled to meet later Thursday and will likely make a decision.
4) "While the decision rests with the commissioners, I am encouraged by this recommendation . Chicago voters should ultimately have the right to decide the election -- and to vote for me or against me," Emanuel said in a statement Thursday.
5) Election board hearing officer Joseph Morris said evidence suggests that Emanuel had no intention of terminating his residency in Chicago, left the city only to work for Obama and often told friends he intended to live in Washington for no more than two years.
6) "Illinois law expressly protects the residential status and electoral rights of Illinois residents who are called to serve the national government," Morris, a Republican attorney in private practice in Chicago, wrote in his 35-page ruling.
7) Officials have tried to expedite mayoral ballot challenges before the Feb. 22 vote, but the board's decision is almost sure to be challenged in the courts.
8) "The hearing officer is sort of like an Italian traffic signal -- it's a mere suggestion. He is basically giving his opinion," Paul Green, a political scientist at Roosevelt University in Chicago, said before the ruling was issued.
9) More than two dozen people challenged Emanuel's candidacy, contending he didn't meet a one-year residency requirement. Emanuel quit his job as Obama's top aide and moved back to Chicago in October after Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he wouldn't seek a seventh term.
10) Emanuel is part of a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates, including former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, former school board president Gery Chico, City Clerk Miguel del Valle and state Sen. James Meeks, the pastor of a South Side mega church.


Hearing officer: Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101223.0421)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel cleared an important hurdle in his bid to be Chicago mayor early Thursday when a hearing officer recommended his name appear on the February ballot.
2) The decision was made even though Emanuel spent much of the last two years living in Washington working for President Barack Obama.
3) The ruling still needs final approval from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, which began meeting later Thursday.
4) The hearing officer's ruling was a political win for Emanuel because it could help him silence critics who have persistently argued he isn't a Chicago resident.
5) "While the decision rests with the commissioners, I am encouraged by this recommendation . Chicago voters should ultimately have the right to decide the election -- and to vote for me or against me," Emanuel said in a statement Thursday.
6) Election board hearing officer Joseph Morris said evidence suggests that Emanuel had no intention of terminating his residency in Chicago, left the city only to work for Obama and often told friends he intended to live in Washington for no more than two years.
7) "Illinois law expressly protects the residential status and electoral rights of Illinois residents who are called to serve the national government," Morris, a Republican attorney in private practice in Chicago, wrote in his 35-page ruling.
8) Officials have tried to expedite mayoral ballot challenges before the Feb. 22 vote, but the board's decision is almost sure to be challenged in the courts.
9) "The hearing officer is sort of like an Italian traffic signal -- it's a mere suggestion. He is basically giving his opinion," Paul Green, a political scientist at Roosevelt University in Chicago, said before the ruling was issued.
10) More than two dozen people challenged Emanuel's candidacy, contending he didn't meet a one-year residency requirement. Emanuel quit his job as Obama's top aide and moved back to Chicago in October after Mayor Richard M. Daley announced he wouldn't seek a seventh term.
11) Emanuel is part of a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates, including former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, former school board president Gery Chico, City Clerk Miguel del Valle and state Sen. James Meeks, the pastor of a South Side mega church.


Election board: Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101223.0469)
1) A board of elections has ruled that former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel should be allowed on the February ballot for Chicago mayor.
2) The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners made its ruling Thursday after a hearing officer presided over days of testimony in residency challenges to Emanuel's candidacy.
3) The hearing officer recommended early Thursday that Emanuel be allowed to run for mayor. The board's decision is almost sure to be challenged in the courts.


Election board: Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor
(APW_ENG_20101223.0481)
1) Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel can run for Chicago mayor although he spent much of the last two years living in Washington while working for President Barack Obama, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners ruled Thursday.
2) With the board's decision, Emanuel clears a major hurdle in his bid to replace retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Officials have tried to expedite mayoral ballot challenges before the Feb. 22 vote, and the board's decision is almost sure to be challenged in the courts.
3) An election board hearing officer, who had presided over days of testimony in residency challenges to Emanuel's candidacy, recommended early Thursday that Emanuel's name be allowed on the ballot, saying evidence suggests that he had no intention of terminating his residency in Chicago, left the city only to work for Obama and often told friends he intended to live in Washington for no more than two years.
4) "Illinois law expressly protects the residential status and electoral rights of Illinois residents who are called to serve the national government," hearing officer Joseph Morris , a Republican attorney in private practice in Chicago, wrote in his 35-page ruling.
5) Earlier Thursday, Emanuel said she he was encouraged by the officer's recommendation.



2010-12-26
Bill Clinton to campaign for Emanuel in Chicago
(APW_ENG_20101226.0374)
1) Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will campaign in support of former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's bid for Chicago mayor.
2) Emanuel campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt said Sunday that Clinton will be in Chicago in January to appear on Emanuel's behalf. A date and place have not been determined.
3) Emanuel formally announced he would run for Chicago mayor in November, just weeks after leaving his post as President Barack Obama's chief of staff. Before his time in the Obama administration, Emanuel spent five years as a U.S. congressman for Illinois.
4) Emanuel held various positions in the Clinton administration, including senior policy adviser, director of special projects and political director.
5) Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has said he will not seek a seventh term.