Rahm's drive

An interesting if possibly over-long profile by the Times' Matt Bai, "Taking the Hill," illuminates President Obama's strategy for pushing comprehensive health care reform through Congress.

Of course it's the personalitites that jump through, most notably Rahm Emanuel; it seems like there's an endless supply of stories about him, and the piece does its part to burnish the legend:

OBAMA’S AGGRESSIVE COURTSHIP of Congress is plotted and directed by Emanuel, who despite his legendary personality flaws — his penchant for profane mockery is now so well documented that you sometimes have the sense he’s cursing at you so as not to disappoint — is freakishly well suited to the job. Emanuel served as a senior aide in Clinton’s White House before running for Congress and then overseeing the Democrats’ successful drive to take back the House, which means he is that rare politician who feels equally at home on both ends of the avenue. “Rahm is family to all of us,” Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, told me recently. ...

When I asked Emanuel if he would prefer that the president have someone around while negotiating with individual lawmakers, he smiled tightly. “I prefer whatever he prefers,” the chief of staff said, sounding uncharacteristically diplomatic.

Obama's gonna get health care reform passed; some network should document it all, it'd make a heck of a movie or TV series.