The White House, post- #@*!ing Rahm

The storyline is the same: If the rank amateurs in the White House would only have listened to him, they could have avoided the Laurel and Hardy comedy of errors that has left them in this fine mess. But noooo — on signature issues, they often moved wildly instead of wily, ignoring Emanuel’s counsel.

So the administration is in deep @*#! on so many fronts: healthcare, civilian trials for terrorists and Guantanamo. By all appearances, many of those responsible would like to dig out and shovel the @*#! onto Emanuel,. He is, after all, the man in charge of keeping up the Obama presidency’s triumphant starting momentum. Aren’t honeymoons supposed to last forever?

This one has not. Obviously. Just as obviously, Emanuel’s momma didn’t raise no fools. She raised some hard@$$ brawlers, but no fools. So it would not be unreasonable to expect that Rahm is fighting back to save his @$$. Nor is it unreasonable to expect that he would take advantage of his media-handling skills to get his message out. (Full disclosure: Over time, I’ve dealt with him. He plays reporters as well as anyone.)

After the Post‘s Dana Milbank wrote a column two Sundays ago that began, “Let us now praise Rahm Emanuel. No, seriously … ” there has been an uproar. Seriously. The gist of the complaints has been that Milbank was compromised and was simply channeling Emanuel. Dana, by the way, denies that and insists his sources were others, which doesn’t prove anything. He could have been channeling the others who were dispatched to channel Emanuel.

Now we find out that the Post is still on the same channel, LRN, Love Rahm Network, counter-programming the DRG, the Dump Rahm Group. Back to that question: “What the #@*!?”

Actually, there is a much bigger question: What does President Obama think about all this, and what is he going to do about it? After all, many could get the impression the president is not really the guy in charge, that he’s controlled by top staff people, and pulled in different directions by their constant tug-of-war for power.

He can’t tolerate an image like that. He may be quite miffed … smoking in more ways than one. In fact, there may be a Desiree Rogers going on, as in deciding to send him packing and quietly look for a replacement chief of staff, now that the current one has #@**ed off the boss. That’s how they did in the soon-to-be-departed White House social director.

It shouldn’t be a surprise if there’s another headline soon in the Post, “RAHM #@*!ed.” Maybe he could get a job there, writing his own column, instead of getting others to do it for him.

By the way, I meant “FIRED.” Whatever were you thinking?

Visit Mr. Franken’s website at www.bobfranken.tv.