Marc Ambinder attempts to peek inside what the president-elect and his advisers might be thinking and concludes they are heeding two lessons from the Clinton years:

1. White House staff matters more than Cabinet appointments;

2. Don't stuff your staff with senators.

Writes Ambinder:

Which leads us back to Rahm Emanuel.

Why did Obama want Emanuel to be chief of staff?  Surely his standing in and knowledge of the Congress.

But more importantly: Rahm knows the White House. He knows how to make the White House work.