Rahm Emanuel was roasted in 2005 at a fundraiser for epilepsy. Barack Obama, in his speech at that roast, said that, although Republicans were invited, most of them said they would only come if there was a real fire. Hillary Clinton said everyone there had this in common: Rahm scared the socks off of them all.

He's rich enough not to be bought, he's tough enough to tell the President off, he's loyal enough to stay even when the President ignores his advice, his voting record is varied enough to show he's not a creature of either the left or the right. And he's smart. Sure, he has a mouth. Sure, he's abrasive. He isn't up for Secretary of State.

Rahm Emanuel will tell off people from both sides of the aisle. Polarization only happens when one side of the aisle gets told off. The next Chief of Staff will tell off anyone, regardless of race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, height or weight. He needs to be a general, which he will be, not a diplomat.