Obama Appoints Son of Militant Zionist Group as Chief of Staff
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CHICAGO—Rahm Emanuel combines political instincts, White House experience and a Chicago tough-guy attitude -- traits that he's likely to need as President-elect Obama's new chief of staff.
His combative style as political director in the early days of the Clinton administration earned him the nickname "Rahmbo." 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.
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.
"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, D-Ill., said after the 2006 victory.
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 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."
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.
Then he went to work for a little-known Arkansas governor who wanted to be president.
Emanuel's fundraising skills are credited with helping keep Bill Clinton's campaign afloat during some rocky times, particularly the scandal over whether he slept with Gennifer Flowers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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 Israel Emanuel (born November 29, 1959) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing Illinois's 5th congressional district, which covers much of the north side of Chicago and parts of suburban Cook County. Emanuel was chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2006 elections. After the Democratic Party regained control of the House, he was elected as the next chairman of the Democratic Caucus. He is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Leader Steny Hoyer and Whip Jim Clyburn.[1]
On November 6, 2008, Emanuel accepted an offer from President-elect Barack Obama to become the White House Chief of Staff in Obama's administration, which begins on January 20, 2009.[2][3][4][5]
In his first term, Rahm Emanuel was a founding member and the Co-Chair of the Congressional Serbian Caucus.[16]
Political views
During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel "indicated his support of President Bush's position on Iraq, but said he believed the president needed to better articulate his position to the American people".[7] Inspired by his pediatrician father, one of the major goals he spoke of during the race was "to help make health care affordable and available for all Americans".[7]
Emanuel has maintained a 100 percent pro-choice voting record and is generally liberal on social issues. He has aligned himself with the center-right of the Democratic Party, the Democratic Leadership Council.
Emanuel, whose father was in Irgun, is a strong supporter of AIPAC, and personally introduced fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama to the organization's directors during the 2008 presidential campaign.[25] A November 2008 article claimed that while expressing empathy for Palestinians, Emanuel has explicitly condemned their leaders.[26] In June 2007, Emanuel condemned an outbreak of Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip and criticized Arab countries for not applying the same kind of pressure on the Palestinians as they have on Israel. "Fatah and Hamas are tearing the Palestinian area of the Gaza strip apart in what they call a political rivalry, and the Palestinian people are paying a price for Palestinian violence," he said at the time. "Governments from around the world and the Arab world have said nothing. ... I just want you to think for a second, if this were the result of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities, would the international silence and the silence of the Arab world be this deafening?" At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers Israel was ready for peace but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror", according to the Chicago Tribune.[26]
Personal life
Rahm Israel Emanuel (Hebrew: רם עמנואל) was born in Chicago, Illinois.[29] His first name, Rahm, means "high" or "lofty" in Hebrew,[30] while his last name, Emanuel, means "God is with us." According to his father, his son is the namesake of Rahamim, a Lehi combatant who was killed.[31] Rahm’s surname was adopted by his family in 1933, after Rahm’s paternal uncle, Emanuel Auerbach, was killed in a skirmish with Arabs in Jerusalem.[32] His father, the Jerusalem-born Benjamin M. Emanuel, is a pediatrician and former member of the Irgun,[31] a militant Zionist group active in the British Mandate of Palestine between 1931 and 1948. His mother, Martha Smulevitz, worked as an X-ray technician and was the daughter of a local union organizer.[6] She became a civil rights activist; she was also once the owner of a Chicago-area rock and roll club.[
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel
Co-Founder of the Serbian Voice in Washington
http://www.serbianunity.net/projects/Information/caucus/index.html
List of Killings done by Irgun
Dier Yassin Massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre was the killing of between 107 and 120 villagers,[1] the estimate generally accepted by scholars,[2][3] during and possibly after the battle[4][5] at the village of Deir Yassin (also written as Dayr Yasin or Dir Yassin) near Jerusalem in the British Mandate of Palestine by Jewish irregular forces (Irgun and Lehi) between 9 April and 11 April 1948. It occurred while Jewish Yishuv forces fought to break the siege of Jerusalem during the period of civil war that preceded the end of the Mandate.
Contemporary reports, originating apparently from a commanding officer in Jerusalem of one of the irregular forces involved (the Irgun), Mordechai Ra'anan[6], gave an initial estimate of 254 killed.[7] The size of the figure had a considerable impact on the conflict in creating panic and became a major cause of the 1948 Palestinian exodus.[7][8]
The incident was universally condemned at the time, including repudiations from the Haganah command and the Jewish Agency. The battle of Deir Yassin took place weeks before the Kfar Etzion massacre and the official declaration of war in May 1948.[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Yassin_massacre
King David Hotel Bombing
The King David Hotel bombing was a deadly bomb strike by the Irgun, a militant Zionist group, on the headquarters of the British Mandatory authorities of Palestine, located at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The offensive was carried out on 22 July 1946 and was the deadliest attack against the British during the Mandate era (1920-1948).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irgun_attacks_during_the_1930s
Dier Yassin Massacre
The Deir Yassin massacre was the killing of between 107 and 120 villagers,[1] the estimate generally accepted by scholars,[2][3] during and possibly after the battle[4][5] at the village of Deir Yassin (also written as Dayr Yasin or Dir Yassin) near Jerusalem in the British Mandate of Palestine by Jewish irregular forces (Irgun and Lehi) between 9 April and 11 April 1948. It occurred while Jewish Yishuv forces fought to break the siege of Jerusalem during the period of civil war that preceded the end of the Mandate.
Contemporary reports, originating apparently from a commanding officer in Jerusalem of one of the irregular forces involved (the Irgun), Mordechai Ra'anan[6], gave an initial estimate of 254 killed.[7] The size of the figure had a considerable impact on the conflict in creating panic and became a major cause of the 1948 Palestinian exodus.[7][8]
The incident was universally condemned at the time, including repudiations from the Haganah command and the Jewish Agency. The battle of Deir Yassin took place weeks before the Kfar Etzion massacre and the official declaration of war in May 1948.[9]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_Yassin_massacre
King David Hotel Bombing
The King David Hotel bombing was a deadly bomb strike by the Irgun, a militant Zionist group, on the headquarters of the British Mandatory authorities of Palestine, located at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. The offensive was carried out on 22 July 1946 and was the deadliest attack against the British during the Mandate era (1920-1948).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_David_Hotel_bombing
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Irgun_attacks_during_the_1930s
http://www.etzel.org.il/english/photo/frame.htm Irgun's Website With Pictures of some of their Attacks
Co-Founder of the Serbian Voice in Washington
http://www.serbianunity.net/projects/Information/caucus/index.html
A 9-28-08 press release from Emanuel's office states:
Emanuel to Co-Chair Congressional Serbian Caucus
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel has become the co-chair of the Congressional Serbian Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the historical alliance between the United States and Serbia.
The Congressional Serbian Caucus will seek to raise awareness and increase friendly relations between the United States and Serbia. The Caucus will educate Members of Congress on the issues affecting the present political, economical and security climate in Serbia and the Balkans.
“In this time of transition in Serbia, the United States needs to maintain a strong alliance with the pro-democratic forces,” Emanuel said. “We should take an international lead in supporting Serbia as they look to stabilize their young government.”
In April 2003, the House passed Emanuel’s resolution (H. Res. 149) honoring the life of slain Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, who was tragically assassinated outside his office in Belgrade on March 12, 2003. In July 2004, Emanuel met with Serbia’s recently elected President, Boris Tadic, during his visit to Washington, D.C.
“Our nations share a mutual admiration for democracy, which is never a guarantee or foregone conclusion,” Emanuel said on the House floor. “The Serbian people are our fellow countrymen and allies because they embrace the value of democracy and freedom.” Rahm Emanuel the co-Founder of the Serbian Voices and his group called for the release of Slobodan Milosovic and to barden him, and called for pardoning Ratko Mladic.
The Congressional Serbian Caucus is co-chaired by Representative Dan Burton (R-IN).
Perhaps Emanuel c0-founded this organization because many people in the 5th Congressional District that he inherited from Blagojevich have Serbian roots.