Inside Rahm's Time of Turbulence

These are tough times for President Obama's combative chief of staff, but don't expect him to walk away from the job any time soon, writes Peter Baker in a detailed look at the White House's inner workings. Health care reform still hangs in the balance and if it fails, Rahm Emanuel will become even more of a target as Democrats wonder why Obama's "Faustian" selection, there to get things done, couldn't get things done, Baker writes in the New York Times Magazine.

Emanuel—whose push for a more incremental move toward health care reform was overruled—has been caught in the middle between pragmatists and idealists, White House insiders say. He remains firmly loyal to Obama and determined to get the job done on health care despite the pressure on him from all sides, which associates say is starting to take its toll. If health care passes, "Emanuel will be hailed as a savior," Baker writes. "If not, well, he does not even allow for that possibility." (More Rahm Emanuel stories.)