Emannuel Rahm has accepted Obama’s offer to be Chief of Staff:

“The chief” is sometimes known as the second most powerful person in
Washington. The job has vast authority, as the boss of the hundreds of
aides who work directly for the president, a public face of the
administration on television, and a negotiator and salesman on Capitol
Hill.

The appointment was the first Obama offered after his election, and
Emanuel pondered the opportunity for about 24 hours. Friends said
Emanuel accepted the job because he thought it was important to serve
this historic administration despite the potential strain on his wife,
Amy Rule, and their three children, who live in the Chicago area.

It’s pretty disingenuous of some Republicans to gripe that Rahm’s selection is somehow antithetical to Obama’s intention to  change the political climate. The COS is not a negotiator, but the President’s representative and advocate for his policies, and so needs to be a forceful and assertive voice. Plus, Obama is signaling that he will maintain order and discipline in his Administration staff by choosing Rahm, which will be very good for leak control. This is a supremely competent pick for the role.

And of course, it has the added bonus of making some conspiracy theorists’ heads explode:

So the President-elect who the Internet and my uncle say is a closet
Muslim madrasa alumnus is poised to name a Congressman who the Internet
and my uncle says is a top Mossad double agent as his White House Chief
of Staff.

heh.