ISN'T THIS A BIT PREMATURE? – AT 11:25 P.M. ET:  I've heard of presidential fever, but this is a case that requires an emergency vaccine.  From The Politico:

Chicago mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel isn’t turning his back on a possible run for the White House in 2016.

“I got a job to do here, and that’s all I’m focused on,” he told ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, who said to Emanuel that a lot of Democrats might be talking about him making a presidential bid in five years, in an interview that aired Wednesday morning.

Oh please.  The man just got into the mayor's chair.

Stephanopoulos asked again — “never think about it?” With a big smile on his face, Emanuel responded: “You know my wife, no,” as both men broke out in laughter.

But Emauel’s answer wasn’t an absolute “no” and might have moved him a little closer to considering a bid than he was a few weeks ago.

When asked by POLITICO just days before he was sworn in as mayor if he’d run for president, his response was a bit different: the extension of his middle finger and a flat-out dismissal: “That’s the dumbest thing in the world.”

Emanuel tried to steer much of the conversation in the interview toward Chicago, but Stephanopoulos was persistent in tapping into the old Emanuel - the behind-the-scenes strategist for President Barack Obama.

COMMENT:  I'ver never thought of the mayoralty of Chicago as a launching pad for anything legitimate.  Of course, Emanuel could always use the slogan, "He knows where the bodies are buried," and, given Chicago politics, it would literally be true. 

Considering that Emanuel is known for using hand gestures that signal significant disapproval, and language that would make the U.S. Navy blush, I don't think the Oval Office is in Rahm's future.  I'm probably wrong.

June 1, 2011