Monday, Dec. 28, 2009
Taking Unilateral Action
Even as Congress has delivered on many of Obama's early objectives, some of the Administration's substantive and symbolic successes have come through Executive Orders (as on automobile mileage standards) and quiet negotiations (as with pharmaceutical manufacturers). Such moves are a specialty of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who gave similar momentum to Bill Clinton's second term through this type of smart, sharp gambit.