Odd Todd: Rahm Emanuel, Comparable to Patton, MacArthur?

Photo of Tim Graham.
  • Bookmark and Share

NBC political analyst Chuck Todd offered the Quote of the Day in the first few minutes of Today on Thursday, comparing incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to the legendary American generals Patton and MacArthur [audio excerpt here]:

President Clinton chose a childhood friend to be his chief-of-staff, Mack McLarty. What did that mean? That chief-of-staff never knew how to tell the President no. Never was a sort of behind-the-scenes guy. In Rahm Emanuel Obama knows he's getting Douglas MacArthur, or General Patton. A guy who's a field general, who will keep all of the, keep everything running on time, the trains running on time and will go after Congress.

Is this really the best analogy for a guy described by press admirers as the "wiry-thin, foul-mouthed ballet dancer"? Like Obama, Emanuel has no military service on his resume, starting his career in Illinois "public interest group" politics.

NBC also handled the less-serious question of what role Oprah Winfrey will be offered in the new administration:

VIEIRA: Okay and finally what role will Oprah play in the administration?

TODD: We'll see. Maybe she, maybe they'll make her White House Press Secretary or maybe the person who gives away all the largesse.

VIEIRA: Yeah.

TODD: You know she can announce all the cars or, or something like that. But we do know press secretary, a familiar face to the "Today" show folks, Robert Gibbs is probably going to be the guy behind the podium that will become the familiar face of the administration.

VIEIRA: Robert Gibbs, okay look for him.

—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Gag me

Please. Is this what I got to live with for four years?

I have only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one: O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it - Voltaire

Question

How will America-hating Muslims react to Obama hiring a Jew?

Question

Allah Akbar!   Boom. 

It's America, not Omerica

Conflicts

The real Rahm 

JDW

DAILY WAVE

  • GOP: A new start with a new team
  • Who will the libs attack after inauguration?

Emanuel may eventually be compared to another military figure

Custer comes to mind as a possibility

»→ Good one Coleman

Custer, one of the most egotistical, self absorbed individuals in American History.

Apt comparison.

  • Let them eat Milquetoast

»→ So what

Rahm Emanuel is one of those bulldogs that drive the Right absolutely batty.

I don't see a problem with the comparison.  Rove would fit the same description.

The Machiavellian approach is proven to hold power.  We should expect nothing less from Obama.  You certainly don't expect him to govern like Ronald Reagan, do you?

Hide and watch, we'll be resorting to comparisons to Goebbels before long.  What's new?

  • Let them eat Milquetoast

Cool Arrow

You may be correct in what your saying, but I am having problems with the Media comparing Emanuel to Patton etc. Obama to JFK and Jesus. What is this administration going to be a pantheon of legends, heros and God? I don't think so. Let's drop the comparisons and discribe them in more realistic terms as you did.

I hear echos of Mussolini here

Call me crazy, but wasn't one of the reasons that Mussolini became the dictator of Italy because he got their "trains to run on time?" 

Seriously, if Rahm Emanuel is the best President-elect Barack Obama can do, we are in for a world of hurt!

Not the reason for his

Not the reason for his ascension, but indeed a "fact" often attributed to him.

To see Todd use that phrase to describe Emanuel is hilarious, in that its usage implies "yes, he's a murderous brutal tyrant, but at least there's a small benefit to having him in power". Once again, the leftist demonstrates his vast knowledge of history. Bwaaaaahahaha!

"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me

In Rahm Emanuel Obama knows

In Rahm Emanuel Obama knows he's getting Douglas MacArthur, or General Patton.

Oh I wouldn't compare Emmanuel to any accomplished general.  He's just one of the bois who hail from Chicawgo.  More in the style made famous by 'Da Coach'.

Weren't both those generals

Weren't both those generals forced to resign/removed from command? Odd choice of analogies, unless, of course, the person saying them is stoopid.

On the bright side, maybe Rahm will slap Obama around when he's acting like a pud.

Slease

Slease is the only word that comes to mind with Rahm Emanuel.  He was around during the Clinton admin, and he was nothing but slease then, and has not changed any in the last 8 years.

 

"Liberalism is just Communism sold by the drink."  P.J.O'Rourke

when it hits the fan!!

when the proverbial s**t its the fan-lets see if either of these big timers have the stomach. i would send them pampers/depends, for when the TEST comes. and Uncle Joe said it will, it will be interesting. No?? its all GWB's fault.

BHO and his staff, lets see how they handle the heat from the kitchen.

MacArthur,Patton, i think not. these were true men of tested difficult events.Not of Columbia and Harvard, but of West Point.!!

 

 allow me to Love America

 

Rahm is one of the

Rahm is one of the filthiest leftists there are, he has been the decision maker running Pelosi and congress for the far left...and good ol' arse licking Chucky T knows this very well...what a guy...

I have never been able to stand Todd from day one, and I have been watching him for years before he ever joined the leftist news station msnbc.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

So Todd is comparing a Jew to Hitler for Obama?

It seems in history that it was Hitler who made the German trains run on time as Todd eludes to, so Todd is telling the world that a Jew in Rham Emanuel is Hitler who can make the trains run on time for Barack Obama who gave a speech in Berlin by Hitler's favorite war monument.

These liberals are beyond reprehensible. Obama is a Marxist, not a National Socialist. Emanuel is a Chicago thug with terrorist roots in his father (Check Wiki on that and one hopes Peggy Noonan has not caught cold from her wet panties over Obama's victory and is pleased for the "father" reference instead of that American term DAD.) neither of who are National Socialists or Nazi, but are fascists.

Todd oweds Jews an apology for calling one Hitler and Todd owes Hitler an apology as Hitler did make the trains run on time, Emanuel only money launders and helps steal elections well. There is a vast difference in that.

 

agtG

 

*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS

Proposed: a weekly MCP award

It would seem that Chuck Todd is almost in a panic to be in front of the media vanguard anxious to pander to the Big O.

Tim,

I propose that there be a weekly

Media
Chauvinistic
Pundit

Award, which we can vote on at the end of the week.

And I nominate Chuck Todd for this week.

Impunitas semper ad deteriora invitat.

Todd is full of it it.

I take offense to the fact that the 2 generals put their butts on the line for their country.Rahm is just a political hack.He may have suffered from paper cuts but he is in no way close to being good enough to shining their boots let alone being put in their catagory.Msm journalist need to keep their heads up Obama butt and STFU.

Et tutu, Todd?

I don't think MacArthur or Patton spent years prancing around a stage wearing a tutu like Emanuel did.

only a liberal CIVILIAN male ...

could make such an idiotic comparison.  this is what pathetic, weak, liberal men do when they try (in vain) to associate themselves with anything manly ... compare a metro-sexual man who wears a suit as a second skin and likes to throw temper tantrums to fearless, testosterone-soaked leaders of men in combat.  sorry charlie/chuck ... wearing armani threads and being an a-hole to old men on capitol hill can't ever be compared to leading men into combat in World War II.

at 70 years of age, general patton would take one look at rahm, then bitch-slap chuck todd for such an ignorant, insulting statement.