Obama Makes a Great Pick in Rahm Emanuel

The reaction of some conservatives against Obama's selection of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is leaving me scratching my head. Sure, he is a Democrat and a fierce opponent. I also get the angle that this does not represent 'change' and they are preparing to underscore by each and every selection that Obama's administration will be a bunch of old guard hacks. I get it.

However, the Emanuel pick has its positives. The Chief of Staff according to Wikepedia is "the second highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President." It says they are often dubbed "'The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington' due to the nature of the job." So in theory Emanuel will have the most influence on the Obama Administration than anybody else.

Guess what? Rahm Emanuel is a very strong supporter of Israel. WorldNetDaily has a fascinating article on the selection called "Obama's chief a closet hawk?" Consider the following nuggets from the article:

- He has strong roots in Israel
"Both Emanuel's parents are citizens of Israel. His Jerusalem-born father, Benjamin Emanuel, fought for Israel's independence, even helping smuggle guns to the Israeli underground. He later served as a medic in the 1948 Israeli battle for independence."

"...served as a captain in the Israeli army"

- He is a strong supporter of Israel
"Emanuel also staunchly believes in Israel's right to exist and is not as conciliatory as Obama on the issue of Palestinian rights."

- He supported and continues to support the Iraq War, the War on Terror and the removal of Saddam Hussein

"Asked in 2005 by late NBC host Tim Russert whether he would have voted to authorize the war knowing that there were no weapons of mass destruction, Emanuel replied yes. (Emanuel was elected to Congress after the authorization vote.) 'I still believe that getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do, OK?' he added."

"In his 2006 book, 'The Plan,' Emanuel devotes a whole chapter to 'the War on Terror,' in which he asserts that Democrats should not be afraid to 'take the fight to the enemy.' 'We need to use all the roots of American power to make our country safe,' he added."

"Among other things, he proposes creating a new domestic counter-terrorism force like Britain's MI5 to protect the homeland."

Rahm Emanuel was selected by Obama because of his positions, or in spite of them. Either way, his selection is a poke in the eye to groups like Code Pink. It is certainly a back hand at the radical Islamic groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and Al Qaeda that offered their endorsements prior to the election and their congratulations afterward. Like I have maintained, the Obama victory is an oppotunity for unlimited fun for the conservative blogger. This is only the beginning.