Rahm Emanuel didn't kill 'public option,' says Kathleen Sebelius

Why is 海角大神 Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The 海角大神 Science Church, and we鈥檝e always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we鈥檝e aimed 鈥渢o injure no man, but to bless all mankind,鈥� as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you鈥檒l find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences 鈥� a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us

Monitor Breakfast

Rahm Emanuel didn't kill 'public option,' says Kathleen Sebelius

Rahm Emanuel's White House chief of staff role wasn't in crafting policy, but in managing strategy, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Thursday.

About video ads

Michael Bonfigli/Special to 海角大神

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters Rahm Emanuel wasn't responsible for crafting policy, including health care, but managed strategy in the White House.

By Dave Cook staff writer

Sept. 30, 2010, 2:02 p.m. ET | Washington

With Rahm Emanuel, President Obama鈥檚 chief of staff, expected to announce his resignation on Friday so he can run for mayor of Chicago, major government officials are speaking out about his role during the first two years of the Obama administration.

The latest analysis came Thursday morning when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was the guest at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast for reporters. Asked about Mr. Emanuel鈥檚 role in getting health-care reform through Congress, Secretary Sebelius described Emanuel as not 鈥渄eeply involved in the policy decisions. The president really did that.鈥�

Instead, Sebelius said, Emanuel鈥檚 role was 鈥渕ore in just the tactical 鈥� how do we get from here to there? What is the pathway? What鈥檚 the vote look like? Who do we need? Who don鈥檛 we have? And he was very hands-on in every step of that process. And it was an interesting and somewhat tortuous process because it changed a number of times.鈥�

Asked by Chicago Sun Times Washington Bureau Chief Lynn Sweet whether Emanuel deserved the blame for killing the so-called public option 鈥� a government sponsored insurance plan 鈥� Sebelius responded 鈥淣o. No. No. No.鈥�

The chief of staff鈥檚 role in the fate of the public option came center stage as a result of an interview he gave to the Wall Street Journal during the battle over health-care legislation, saying the Obama administration had a goal of keeping 鈥減rivate insurers honest,鈥� but that the path to that goal was 鈥渘egotiable.鈥�

Much of what Sebelius said about Emanuel鈥檚 operating style echoed comments made about the chief of staff at Wednesday's Monitor breakfast by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

鈥淩ahm is never boring. He is active, he is engaged. He鈥檚 got ideas about everything and is really involved in everything as a chief of staff should be, in terms of a wide range of topics,鈥� Sebelius said.

鈥淩ahm is 24/7 all the time. If he has an idea it should have been done yesterday or the day before. So it is a pretty 鈥� to call it fast-paced is an underestimate.鈥�