The rumor is that the famously profane White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is leaving office by the end of this week so that he can run for mayor of Chicago. The Washington Posts ‘s “Reliable Source” column considers the fate of Rahm’s wife , Amy Rule, and his young children, who uprooted their lives to join him in D.C. just a year ago. When Rahm first began as chief of staff in 2009, his family remained in Illinois, and he returned on weekends when he could. A few months later, Rule and the kids moved to D.C.-a move the Post describes as “reluctant”-and the three children were put in local private schools.
Now that Rahm is allegedly hankering for the mayor’s seat, his family will likely have to pull up roots again and join him back in Illinois. It would be difficult for the fam to join him immediately, the Post points out, because the Emanuels rented out their Chicago home. I acknowledge that when one has signed on to be a political wife, this sort of disruption is part of the bargain: You must accept that sometimes the needs of the family will be subordinate to the needs of the political spouse. Still, this must not be an easy situation for Rahm’s family.
Photograph of Rahm Emanuel by Mark Wilson for Getty Images.
