Rahm Emanuel Is Going To Be the President Obama Of Chicago

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said today that he won't run for re-election in 2011. But wait, the blogosphere remembered, doesn't Rahm Emanuel want that job? DRUDGE SIRENS! "I would like to run for the mayor of the city of Chicago." That is something Rahm told Charlie Rose one time! And then Chris Cillizza called up the guy who was at the White House fixing the Obama kids' swing set today: "A senior Obama Administration official said Emanuel is likely to run for the post. 'I'd be shocked if he doesn't run,' the official said." Now we can move on to guessing who will fill Rahm's spot at the White House, and then we can speculate who will fill that person's job, etc. etc. etc.

But even though we KNOW FOR SURE he's running, let's just go ahead and look at Rahm's statement:

Emanuel, in a statement released this afternoon, made no mention of his interest (or lack thereof) in the job.

"While Mayor Daley surprised me today with his decision to not run for reelection, I have never been surprised by his leadership, dedication and tireless work on behalf of the city and the people of Chicago," said Emanuel

Translation: "I am pissed you did not give me advanced notice you weren't running for re-election. If that's because you hand-picked someone to succeed you, fuck off, I'll probably run anyway and ruin you. Also, I want to wrestle with that cute guy Eric Massa in the shower and maybe brush against his penis." (Thanks to former Congressman Eric Massa for the translation.) 

Is it normal for a chief of staff to issue statements on his own personal opinions about political matters? Probably not. So congratulations, Chicago. Time to start Rahm-proofing the throwable antiques in your mayor's office. [ WP ]