(Image source: bonweb)
BY GARY COTTON
Rahm Emanuel is known for his fiery antics, but a new book says the First Lady has had her share of tiffs too. The book -- called The Obamas -- is by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, and reveals the alleged rivalry. Fox News reports...
“The First Lady also apparently did not get along at all with her husband’s former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Cantor writes, ‘Michell and Rahm Emanuel had almost no bond; their relationship was distant and awkward from the beginning. She had been skeptical of him when he was selected, and now he returned the favor …’”
The Obamas was written after Kantor interviewed more than 30 former aides and staff. It isn’t out yet, but media are analyzing preview excerpts. WRC goes into more depth, saying there was one thing in particular that might have riled Mrs. Obama up.
“In one account, Kantor wrote that Mrs. Obama was annoyed at White House strategy when the president’s health care agenda seemed in danger of collapsing in early 2010.”
The Huffington Post says excerpts show health care reform drove a major wedge between the two behind-the-scenes.
“The dramatics that surrounded the passage of health care reform -- culminating in Emanuel's near-resignation -- reflect the type of struggles that routinely pitted Emanuel against the first lady during the first two years of the Obama administration. … The tug of war ... for the president's spiritual or political soul contributed to a White House that was far more disorganized and friction-filled than the public perception holds.”
Ultimately, the book paints a distinct picture of Mrs. Obama. Taking it for its word, The New York Times explains.
“The Michelle Obama of January 2012 is an expert motivator and charmer … But interviews … show that she has been an unrecognized force in her husband’s administration and that her story has been one first of struggle, then turnaround and greater fulfillment. Mrs. Obama is a supportive but often anxious spouse, suspicious of conventional political thinking …”
The Obamas is out January 10th.
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