Barack Obama’s children may be getting a new puppy, but American gun owners will soon be the targets of an attack dog named Rahm Emanuel.
On Jan. 20, this fierce enemy of the Second Amendment will become the chief of staff to the president of the United States.
The White House chief of staff is known as the “second most powerful man in Washington” and even the “co-president.” He decides who gets to meet with the president, supervises the entire White House staff, advises the commander-in-chief on policy and negotiates with Congress, interest groups and the rest of the executive branch. If the president is not a hands-on manager—and Barack Obama has little executive experience other than in heading his own presidential campaign—the chief of staff can be like a de facto prime minister.
Regardless of exactly how the Obama White House is organized, Emanuel will be one of the most powerful men in the world. Nobody disputes that Emanuel is extremely intelligent, ruthlessly partisan and brilliantly shrewd in his pursuit of power. Unfortunately, that power has often been used to the detriment of the Constitution. When Bill Clinton wanted to target the Second Amendment, he made Emanuel his gun czar.
To read the full commentary, click here: www.DaveKopel.org.
