Square is a favorite McDonough word: it means “honest,” but it also describes the man who would become Obama’s alter ego for the next four years. If Emanuel, with his dramatic flair, was well suited to the crises of the first term, McDonough—wiry, intense, and a workaholic—seemed tailor-made for the heavy lifting of the next four years. But McDonough’s “no-drama” discipline concealed a ferocious competitive drive.
