As Emanuel leaves White House, Rouse takes on new role

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As Emanuel leaves White House, Rouse takes on new role

1 October 2010

 By Paul Adams  BBC News, Washington



Mr Emanuel was a strong force in the White House, considered by some as Mr Obama's chief enforcer


The body language said it all.

As President Obama announced the departure of his combative chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel stood on one side of the president, hands on his hips, apparently enjoying the moment.

After all, it wasn't just that the president was saying nice things about him.

With the cabinet in attendance, this was also tantamount to a launch party for his Chicago mayoral bid.

To the president's left, an owlish Pete Rouse cut a rather different figure - almost visibly squirming when the president described the less flamboyant skills of his new enforcer.

The president's choice of words was telling too. He called his new chief of staff an "arbitrator".

No one ever said that about Rahm-bo.


'What Obama needs'

Perhaps, with Congress expected to become an even more difficult place for the White House to do business after November's midterms, a soft-speaking negotiator is just what the president needs.

The "101st senator" certainly has the connections and the experience to operate effectively on the Hill.

Where Mr Emanuel was criticised by Republicans as a partisan hitman and by progressive Democrats as responsible for watering down the president's reforms, Mr Rouse may find it easier to tread a more conciliatory path.

Inside the West Wing, Mr Rouse's reputation as the man who put out the fires that the irascible, profane Mr Emanuel seemed to ignite in the course of his ruthless pursuit of the president's agenda, may also be good for morale.

These are anxious times. With a hesitant economic recovery still not really being felt on Main Street, the Obama Administration has been buffeted by a number of high-profile resignations from the president's economic team, culminating in the departure of Larry Summers, another combative figure, ten days ago.

The departure and arrival of new staff needs to be expertly handled and most people seem to think that Mr Rouse is just the man.


Pete Rouse will be serving as Mr Obama's interim chief of staff

Returning home

And what of Mr Emanuel's mayoral bid?

It seemed typical of this driven, ambitious man that he opened his remarks with talk of the prospect of new challenges.

He said he is excited to be returning to "the greatest city in the greatest country in the world."

He said he was "energised by the prospect of new challenges" and "eager to see what I can do to make our home town even greater."

But while Rahm Emanuel may now be the most high-profile candidate to fill the shoes of Mayor Richard Daley, he's not necessarily a shoo-in.

A Democratic strategist in Chicago said Mr Emanuel had simply been away from the Windy City for too long.

The fact that the would-be mayor was about to embark on a "listening tour" of the city, he said, was proof that he had a lot of catching up to do.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11457102

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Pete Rouse




Categories: 1946 births | Living people | Alumni of the London School of Economics | American politicians of Japanese descent | Colby College alumni | Employees of the United States Senate | John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni | Obama Administration personnel | South Dakota Democrats | United States presidential advisors | Washington, D.C. lawyers | White House Chiefs of Staff

Peter M. Rouse (born April 15, 1946) is an American political consultant who serves as White House Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama,[1] having served as a co-chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project.[2]

Rouse had been chief of staff to South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, the former majority leader, and was planning to retire after Daschle lost in 2004. However, in 2004, Rouse was contacted by a law school friend of then-Illinois Senator Obama and chose to work for him as his chief of staff.[3][4]

On October 1, 2010, Rouse was appointed Interim White House Chief of Staff, replacing the outgoing Rahm Emanuel.[5]


Biography

Overall, Rouse has worked on Capitol Hill for more than 30 years, since 1971. According to Amy Sullivan (Washington Monthly), Rouse came to be known as "the 101st Senator" thanks to his knowledge and skills.

He received a B.A. from Colby College in 1968, an M.A. from the London School of Economics in 1970, and an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1977.

Rouse helped prepare a memo, "The Strategic Plan," for Obama's first year in the Senate.[6] Helping Obama navigate Senate politics, Rouse worked with Obama and Senator Russell Feingold on strengthening ethics reform legislation.[7] Similarly, he suggested that Obama speak with Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Lieberman in the early stages of exploring his presidential candidacy. Rouse also is credited with persuading Obama to vote against the nomination of John G. Roberts, who was nevertheless confirmed and is now Chief Justice of the United States (Bacon 2007).

As with all congressional staff, Rouse's compensation is public information. He has received salary payments above $140,000 during his years with Senator Obama.[8]

On October 15, 2001, Rouse was the Daschle staffperson to call the police about a letter that tested positive for anthrax powder (Boyer 2001). Twenty of Daschle's staff subsequently tested positive for exposure to anthrax spores; it is not known if Rouse was exposed along with his workmates.[9]

Rouse had worked since 1985 for Daschle, whom he met as a fellow legislative assistant for Senator James Abourezk (D-SD).[10]
[edit] Role as Senior Adviser

Rouse is one of three White House officials with the title Senior Adviser to the President, along with David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett. In an interview,

 Rouse said that he "basically does the inside, organizational stuff and strategic stuff internally," adding that he had no desire to be the "outside person" but preferred to leave external relations to Axelrod, Jarrett and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.



 Rouse said the Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Jim Messina and Mona Sutphen, "who run the place from day to day," report to him. Asked about his overall portfolio, he said "I fix things." He described himself as one of several problem fixers in a collaborative environment.[11]

The Rolling Stone described Rouse as a low profile, calm and legislatively connected manager, quoting one "top Democratic strategist" as saying that "Rouse's the one who brought 'no drama' to Obama. His enforcement makes it work." [12]

In September 2009, the Washington Post reported that Rouse was heading the White House's efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.[13]
[edit] Personal life

Rouse is of partial Japanese American hertiage, specifically a sansei (third generation). Rouse's mother, Mary Rouse (née Mikami), grew up as a child only speaking Japanese.[14] Rouse's maternal grandfather emigrated from Tokyo to San Francisco in 1885. He returned to Japan in 1910 to marry his wife, before they then moved back to the U.S., eventually settling in Alaska in 1915.[15] The Mikamis retired to Los Angeles shortly before World War II began. They were later sent to an internment camp in Arizona during the War.[16]

Rouse is a lifelong bachelor who enjoys raising his Maine Coon cats.[17]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rouse



Rouse ?

Who Controls the White House?

http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?15765-Who-Controls-the-White-House

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