Rahm Emanuel: Puppet master or just a bad adviser?

[Cyrano]

Most of us will be glad to see Rahm Emanuel leave the White House.

If Rahm Emanuel was manipulating Obama and the choices made on so many issues, that would make our president a fool. President Obama is not a fool.

If President Obama agreed with Rahm Emanuel, and thus went along with his advice, that would make him a man with beliefs we did NOT vote for.

Unlike many here on DU, I still hold out hope that Obama can be a great president. But given the previous two years, my hopes are fading.

So here are my questions. How much can a chief of staff manipulate a president? No one really knows what goes on in the West Wing. But given Emanuel's reign of power, and given that Obama went along with the advice he got from him, who the hell has been running the country for the past two years?