Mark Leibovich has a funny anecdote in his terrific profile of the White House chief of staff:
At a White House gathering with Mr. Obama and a bipartisan team of lawmakers on Friday, the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, joked that Mr. Emanuel was too busy to talk to him, so he called the president instead. Mr. Obama said he was always happy to take calls for his chief of staff — a reference to an incident a few weeks ago when Mr. Hoyer called Mr. Emanuel, who was in the back of a car and claimed he was too busy to talk, so he handed the phone to Mr. Obama.
Also, Leibovich illustrates the advantage of recruiting your chief of staff from Congress:
He has been equally solicitous of Republicans in Congress (who also have been given access to Mr. Emanuel’s private contact information). On days he does not swim, he works out — and conducts business — at the House gym: 25 minutes on the bike, 20 minutes on the elliptical, 120 sit-ups, 55 push-ups and many sweaty conversations with his former colleagues. In a recent encounter there, for instance, with Representative Peter Hoekstra, Republican of Michigan, Mr. Emanuel secured his support for Leon E. Panetta to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Something tells me Mack McLarty didn't have the same opportunities to get work done...
P.S. The article dwells a bit on the stylistic differences between Rahm and Obama. But it makes clear they're soulmates in at least one respect--their fanatical devotion to fitness. In addition to the above regimen, Raham appears to swim a mile several mornings a week.
--Noam Scheiber