From Ben Smith:
Just tonight, for example, I caught up with some Hill staffers at House-side watering hole. Also there was Carl Hulse, the New York Times's crack congressional reporter. Before I arrived, Emanuel had called Hulse on his cell phone. Being an unseasonably warm night for November in Washington, the gang was outside the bar together when Hulse took the call. The Timesman cracked to Emanuel that he was surrounded by a group of Republican Hill staffers. So what did the soon-to-be Chief of Staff to the next Democratic president do? He asked to talk to them. Hulse passed the phone to one senior House GOP aide and the two had a nice chat, with Emanuel recounting how he had a good conversation with the aide's boss today.
Just Rahm being Rahm.
A quick point I'm not sure I've already made: This gets back to Obama being very serious about governing. You're not going to find a more connected, determined chief of staff. Rahm knows everyone and while generally being regarded as tough, he's also viewed as being fair. With his first two moves, Biden and Emanuel, Obama has surrounded himself with two guys who are as dialed in as anyone into the affairs of the House and Senate.
