Rahm Emanuel to be Obama's chief of staff

Reporting from Chicago — Rahm Emanuel, a tough political operative who helped create a solid Democratic majority in Congress, accepted Barack Obama's offer to be White House chief of staff, according to Democratic congressional aides.

Emanuel, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, struggled with the decision, which may put beyond reach any hopes he had of becoming speaker of the House some day.

But in trading his House leadership spot for the prime staff position in the White House, Emanuel is certain to be at the vanguard of Obama's ambitious policy agenda.

Emanuel, 48, is a Chicago resident and a close political ally of Obama. He served in Bill Clinton's White House, a pedigree that will position him to guide Obama on legislative strategy and the workings of the executive branch.

Although some Republicans have complained that Emanuel is too partisan a figure to succeed in the job, prominent Democrats are applauding the decision.

Howard Paster, a colleague of Emanuel in the Clinton administration, said: "One of the issues for a president is: Do I pick someone with whom I have a good relationship, or someone who knows his way around Washington."

In Emanuel, Paster continued, "President-elect Obama had an opportunity to pick someone who meets both criteria."

A former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Emanuel helped put the Democrats back in control of the House in the 2006 election, reducing the Republicans to minority status. In that role, he occasionally alienated Republicans, whose cooperation Obama will need to advance his policy goals.

Some Republicans have grumbled that choosing Emanuel as chief of staff sends a disturbing signal, given Obama's promise of a fresh, bipartisan approach.

Yet Paster said Emanuel appreciates the chief of staff job calls for a different style.

"What they [the Republicans] have seen was that as head of the DCCC and the Democratic caucus, he fought vigorously," Paster said. "Well, that was his job. They forget that when he was in the White House, he helped Bill Clinton build relationships with uniformed police officers and police on the streets and was never seen as one of the more liberal influences in the Clinton White House."

Often blunt and profane, Emanuel is notorious for his aggressive partisan tactics. He once sent a dead fish to a political rival.

Emanuel has close ties to Israel. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, his father, Dr Benjamin Emanuel said the appointment would be a boon to the Jewish state.

"Obviously, he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," Dr. Emanuel said in the interview. He said that his son visits Tel Aviv most summers.

Emanuel, 48, has three children, ages 8 to 11.

Nicholas is a Times staff writer.

peter.nicholas@latimes.com

Times Staff Writer Janet Hook contributed to this article