Rahm Emanuel says Obama鈥檚 job much tougher than Clinton鈥檚
The domestic and international issues Barack Obama faces outweigh those that confronted Bill Clinton 鈥渂y a quotient of ten,鈥� says Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Emanuel was a senior advisor in the Clinton White House from 1993-1999 and now is arguably the second most powerful person in the Obama administration. He was the guest at Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters on Thursday.
When, fairly early in the hour-long session, John Dickerson of Slate and CBS News asked Emanuel to compare how the two presidents dealt with domestic and international issues, he quipped 鈥渃an we go to that last?鈥�
Difficulties in comparing presidents
Emanuel then launched into an extensive description of the array of issues each president confronted. 鈥淭he world that they鈥檙e dealing with is fundamentally different,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think they are incredibly talented individuals, OK? They have different styles, they鈥檙e at a different time, they鈥檙e also at different ages in their -- I mean their own biography, they鈥檙e at different ages.鈥�
But from Emanuel鈥檚 ringside seat, the issues on Obama鈥檚 plate -- Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, the faltering economy -- are orders of magnitude tougher than what President Clinton faced in Bosnia, Rwanda, and Somalia.
鈥淲hile every president has a domestic issue and an international issue, etc., I mean, President Obama has what President Clinton had, but, I don鈥檛 want to say, it鈥檚 not appropriate to say on steroids, but by a quotient of ten,鈥� Emanuel said.
Clinton the creative
He was careful to stress his admiration for former President Clinton. 鈥淚 loved, as you know, working for President Clinton, who had an unbelievably creative mind. And I think was, for a host of reasons, was a very significant president. I was honored to work for him.鈥� Emanuel served as political director in the Clinton White House.
In contrast to the 鈥渃reative鈥� description of Clinton, Emanuel said his current boss had 鈥渙ne of the most disciplined minds and styles I鈥檝e ever seen鈥�.I exercise every day. I鈥檝e been doing it for umpteen years. I read a book, one every three weeks. I think I鈥檓 personally pretty disciplined. This guy is incredibly disciplined. And not only structured, but his mind is unbelievably disciplined.鈥�
Obama's late night prep
When asked for an example, Emanuel noted that Obama, 鈥済oes into a meeting and he鈥檒l have read the brief the night before, and have the crux of his argument written down that he wants to drive that discussion to basic points. And he goes right to either the assumptions, the presumptions of the case.鈥�
The Chief of Staff鈥檚 relations with the press were the subject of a story in the Washington Post earlier this week called 鈥淩ahmbo and the Reporters.鈥� It described what the Post鈥檚 press critic, Howard Kurtz, called Emanuel鈥檚 aggressive and relentless working of media contacts, often in a brusquely efficient manner.
But the Emanuel who showed up Thursday morning was full of cheer and charm. At one point he began an answer by saying, 鈥淚f I can get one thing across to this esteemed group of Washington journalists. (pause) I hope you appreciated that....usually the word 'esteemed' and Washington journalist don鈥檛 go together.鈥� And then he resumed his answer on the chances of getting health reform passed in a bipartisan manner.
