Rumors of Rahm's Departure

Beware the soothsayers who know the exact day and hour when the trumpets shall sound and Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, will announce his resignation. First, Emanuel has said repeatedly that he's told President Obama that his shelf life is about two years. That would imply  a public expiration date in December.

But Obama has no interest in seeing Emanuel depart, and Emanuel will probably stay at least long enough to oversee other staff departures and additions. Turnover at that point is normal. It's safe to say that a chunk of the economic policy team will be looking to move on, as efforts shift from crisis mitigation to building a new economic foundation.

Earlier, if you'd bet that National Security Adviser James Jones would be intent on staying put, you'd win the pot. He's sticking around. My guess is that Emanuel stays for another year or so ... allowing the presidential campaign staff to form and ensuring that the rest of the White House staff is stable before he finally transitions out.