Obama picks new chief of staff

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-07-2008 09:15

Barack Obama has chosen congressman Rahm Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff.

It would be the first appointment he's made for his incoming administration.

Barack Obama has chosen congressman Rahm Emanuel to be his White House chief of staff.(CCTV.com)

Emanuel is also from Chicagao and a good friend of Obama's. Emanuel is the fourth-highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives as the Democratic Caucus Chair.

If Emanuel accepts the offer, it will be a return to the White House, where he used to serve as a policy adviser to former US President Bill Clinton.

Emanuel maintained neutrality during the long primary battle between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, possibly because of his long-standing ties with former first lady and his Illinois connections with Obama.