President-Elect Obama announced today that Rep. Rahm Emanuel would be his chief of staff. Eleven years ago, Elizabeth Bumiller of the New York Times profiled Rahm Emanuel and his two brothers in this article, "The Brothers Emanuel". Excerpt:
Today [in 1997], Rahm Emanuel is, at 37, one of the most powerful people at the White House. He is also the middle brother of two similar tank commanders: Ariel Emanuel, 36, a relentless Hollwyood television agent who left International Creative Management under cover of darkness to create a rival firm, and Ezekiel Emanuel, 39, an oncologist (with a doctorate in political theory) who is a nationally known medical ethicist at Harvard and a leading opponent of assisted suicide.
''We were cloned, full grown,'' says Ezekiel.
Of the three brothers, Rahm is the most famous, Ari is the richest and Zeke, over time, will probably be the most important. Zeke is also, according to his brothers, the smartest. Rahm, naturally, gets the most press attention. Last erm he managed the President's campaigns to pass the crime bill and the North American Free Trade Agreement, but this term he has taken over the job and close-to-the-Oval-Office cubbyhole of his friend Stephanopoulos. Now chief promoter of Clinton's small-bore issues like stopping teen-age smoking and requiring trigger locks on guns, Rahm has been singled out in recent profiles as the centrist, hyperactive counterreaction to the Stephanopoulos liberal cool.
[...]
Together, Emanuel Freres are a triumvirate for the 90's. All are rising stars in three of America's most high-profile and combative professions. All understand and enjoy power, and know how using it behind the scenes can change the way people think, live and die.
Rahm's brother Ari, the Hollywood agent, is said to be the inspiration for the character Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven (pictured above), on the HBO series Entourage.
The photo above is from Wikipedia.
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