Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images

The "Rahmbo" that many expected to act as the ruthless, knee-capping counterweight to President Obama's gentle inclusiveness has failed to materialize. Instead of sending his adversaries dead fish, or stabbing tables with steak knives and screaming like a banshee, Emanuel is wooing his congressional peers in both parties with lavish attention and kindness. Republican congressman Peter King of Long Island is so smitten that he'd almost be honored if Emanuel orchestrated his downfall. "He's tough, and he's really not that partisan," King told the Washington Post. "If he can knock me off in the next election, he will, and I totally accept that." On one late night, Emanuel even rewarded the House Budget Committee with "eight chocolate cakes and a batch of cookies." The old Rahm would have poisoned those baked goods, and the committee members would have assumed he'd done so and thrown them in the trash. But that Rahm is no more. Or, more likely, he's being suppressed with great effort each day, ready to be unleashed with unimaginable vengeance on the unsuspecting soul who pushes his luck just a bit too far.

Give-and-Take With Emanuel Advances President's Agenda [WP]