That he assumed the Chief of Staff position for Obama is discouraging.  This was Obama's first appointment, and it is anything but consistent with his message of change.  To appoint someone who is a Washington insider, who served Clinton as an Aide in the early nineties, who penned a left wing doctrine which Obama has used as a playbook for platform issues, and to know he is in charge of Obama's transition is counterintuitive.

Obama indicated he feels Rahm is the one to work across the aisle and embrace Democrats and Republicans alike. Fascination is a tune we'll be playing as we listen to Rahm being referred to as the peacemaker. But he is no ally and peacemaker to Republicans.  He's the same guy according to Monica Crowley that told the Republicans to go "blank" themselves.  I also heard from a reliable source that he once sent a dead fish to someone he did not like.  What is far fetched is to imagine Rahm holding out an olive Branch to the Minority Leader.  Right now, he is not someone with whom Republican leadership can build a relationship.

Let's look at the gains Rahm made from sitting on the Board of Directors of Freddie Mac during a time when the mistakes were made by the lending giant which set them up for their current federal mortgage lending crisis.  Rahm has been well fed by our now defunct financial institutions and to suggest that he would be functioning in an unbiased manner could not be further from the truth.  

For two years while Freddie Mac deceived investors from 2000--2002, Rahm was sitting on the board of directors, as part of the problem, not performing due diligence.

He has long been referred to as the one with "sharp elbows" over and over again.  There's a reason for that. And there's the Rahm Emmanuel resume to back it up.  And yes, the SEC later released a report that named the entire Board of Freddie Mac, naming them guilty of failing to provide the oversight needed to avoid this present day scandal.  In fact, he received over $250,000. from the giant from sitting on that board.

Also during Rahm's time on the board, Freddie Mac was found guilty of making illegal campaign contributions to Congressional Candidates, while it just happens Rahm was making his congressional bid for office. Freddie payed a fine in excess of $3.8 billion to the Federal Election Commission to settle their score.  

He has made it known he wants Pelosi's job someday, but he dutifully responded to Obama's call.  Some say his closeness with Axelrod, Obama's campaign manager and the brains behind the winning strategy has played an influential role in Rahm's decisions.

We all know that Clinton's White House transition was anything but smooth. They just couldn't get it right, and there were a lot of movable pieces in terms of early nominations and appointments in the Clinton administration.  And so the experience card certainly played a lead role in terms of Rahm being the choice for Obama's Chief of staff.  But all the pieces that go along with the image Obama wants to build, and the tone he wants to set, and the change he was championing just came to a screeching hault and a thud with Rahm's appointment.  Obviously Obama's close relationship to his long time friend has allowed him to see a side of Rahm we cannot.  Hopefully over time we, as in we the Republican Party, will see that positive side of Rahm.

They say experience in life builds character, and the tough challenges more so.   Emanuel's character building is not the type of character building most of our grandparents were fondly referring to.  No one can be sure, but we've heard him referred to as the "sharp elbowed" boy.  And all I can tell you is that is not the type of person I'd want to sit next to if I were taking a long ride anywhere.