Obama names Rahm Emanuel chief of staff

Barack Obama is making his chief of staff selection official.
   
The president-elect said in a statement on Thursday that fellow Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel has accepted the job of White House chief of staff.

Obama says “no one I know is better at getting things done” than the Illinois congressman.

Emanuel says the job is a privilege and he is humbled by the responsibility.

He says he is leaving his job in House leadership to do everything he can to “help deliver the change America needs.“

The selection of the fiery Democrat marked a shift in tone for Obama, who chose more low-key leadership for his presidential campaign.

“In Rahm Emanuel Obama knows he’s getting Douglas MacArthur or General Patton, a guy whose a field general, who will keep everything running on time, the trains running on time and will go after congress,“ said NBC Political Analyst Chuck Todd.

House Republican leader John Boehner calls him “an ironic choice” for a president-elect who’s promised to “make politics more civil.“

Another priority for the president-elect will be putting together an economic team.

With the country facing a financial crisis deciding who will take over the Treasury Department is critical and urgent.
The Obama transition team is already in place.

100 obama officials have security clearances and their DC office is ready.

“We are partners in this moving forward and our country is quite remarkable what it is able to do in a transition like this,“ said White House spokesperson Dana Perino. 

President Bush met with his cabinet Thursday morning about the transition before addressing 1000 executive office staffers.

“For the next 75 days all of us must ensure the next president and his team hit the ground running,” said the President.     

One of the most urgent decisions is naming an economic team.

For Treasury Secretary, Obama is reportedly considering former Clinton Secretary Larry Summers, former Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volker and New York fed president Tim Geithner among others.

National security is also critical.

Obama got his first presidential intelligence briefing Thursday.

CIA Director Michael Hayden says the president elect will, quote

“See the full range of capabilities we deploy for the United States.“