President Barack Obama said his hard-nosed chief of staff Rahm Emanuel would make a terrific mayor of Chicago but expects him to wait until after the November congressional elections to decide whether to run.Mayor Richard Daley's surprise decision not to seek re-election on Feb. 22 leaves the door open for Emanuel, who has played a major role in shaping Obama's agenda but has also long coveted the Chicago mayorship.
Obama made clear in a television interview aired on Thursday that if Emanuel decides to run, he probably will have the president's blessing and his vote.
"The one thing I've always been impressed with about Rahm is that when he has a job to do, he focuses on the job in front of him," Obama told ABC News in an interview recorded on Wednesday. "And so my expectation is, he'd make a decision after these midterm elections."
Emanuel's job as chief of staff gives him influence on advancing Obama's legislative priorities with Congress. He also oversees White House staff and determines who gets to see the president.
Obama's interest in keeping Emanuel as a key strategist at least until the Nov. 2 elections could be another reflection of concern about his Democratic Party's dimming prospects.
The president and his administration are scrambling to prevent big Democratic losses driven by voter anxiety over a stumbling economy and high unemployment.
"He knows that we've got a lot of work to do. But I think he'd be a terrific mayor," said Obama, who votes in Chicago, his adopted hometown.
Emanuel has until Nov. 30 to file his candidacy in Chicago.