Opposites Attract

Rahm's Favorite Republican

Speaks with Lindsey Graham more than any other GOP member.

For all the talk of bipartisanship in campaign speeches, Lindsey Graham and Rahm Emanuel seem to actually be taking the idea to heart. Insiders on Capitol Hill have observed the unlikely friendship between President Obama's chief of staff and one of the Republican Party's most high-profile senators. The pair first worked together setting the rules of debates for the 2008 presidential election. "I just like Lindsey. I just like him, but it doesn't blind me to our differences," said Emanuel, who has taken more meetings with Graham than any other major Republican official. Graham echoed Emanuel, saying, "I just found [him] good to deal with. ... we formed a relationship that allows us to just pick up the phone." In spite of raised eyebrows on both sides of the aisle, the two have held meetings on a variety of issues, most notably Graham's proposed deal that would help close Guantanamo Bay, a key Obama campaign promise. Graham explained of the deal, "There are things that I want to do that require the administration's buy-in. There are things they want to do that require my buy-in. ... [Rahm] understands you can only go so far by yourself."