“I think the reason he picked Rahm, and really wanted Rahm from the get-go,” says Podesta, “is that he saw that moment as a time to expend all your energy passing stuff. Rahm had the experience under President Clinton but also had been elected to the House and moved up through the leadership.” Faced with a global financial crisis—with credit frozen, banks failing, and the auto industry on the verge of collapse—Obama needed someone who could pass legislation on Capitol Hill. Fast.
