In a letter submitted today, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), who serves as ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, boldly demanded that Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff for President Obama’s administration, cease his behind-the-scenes manipulation to ram legislation through Congress quickly to promote the President’s agenda.

Congressman Issa references Emanuel’s Chicago-style tactics that attempt to punish anyone who stands in his or President Obama’s way:

As you know, Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) recently raised questions about the failure of the stimulus and suggested on a national television show that stimulus money scheduled to be spent in future years ought to be returned to the American taxpayers. Following Senator Kyl’s remarks, according to Politico, you coordinated an “assault” on Senator Kyl and other critics of your policies by directing four cabinet secretaries to write to Jan Brewer, governor of Arizona, asking pointedly if, in light of Senator Kyle’s remarks, Governor Brewer wished to forfeit taxpayer money directed to Arizona by the stimulus. These tactics have been characterized as a “fist to the nose” and a message to “Back off.” While this type of scare tactic may work in Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other Members of the United States Congress.

Congressman Issa even includes a glossary of definitions he uses in the memo, so as not to allow for misinterpretation. He even issues this harsh accusation:

At what point do you believe your practice of Chicago-style politics violates a public official’s right to speak out in favor of alternative policies?

Indeed, this is the sentiment expressed by many who have endured run-ins with President Obama’s Chief-of-Staff. Emanuel, known especially for sending a dead fish as a threat to a pollster who angered him some 20 years ago, does not seem to shy away from such a “tough guy” characterization, but rather, relishes in it as a means of maintaining influence inside the Beltway. According to Time Magazine, many have described Emanuel as a “profane, hyperactive attack dog.” Chuck Fant, press secretary for Congressman John M. Spratt (D-SC), once said about Emanuel’s reactions to an unpopular proposal by then-President George W. Bush, “Rahm smelled blood. He latched on like a pit bull and never let go.”

And what exactly is this profane, hyperactive pit bull doing about health care reform?

Well, first, he’s elevated those are closest to him, including his own brother, Ezekiel. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel became the chief health care adviser  early in the Obama administration.  One can’t help but assume that like anything else done in Chicago’s inner political circles, the person who was to fill this position wasn’t assigned through a blind interviewing process.

Dr. Emanuel, or “Zeke” as he is called by some, is a bioethicist who wrote the book, ”Health Care Guaranteed” (angle not unclear). He is now tapped to parade around media circuits as their doctor witness on behalf of the cause and most recently, was sent over to the non-partisan Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee health care reform legislation scoring. Zeke must be rather busy these days after the OMB offered less-than-favorable estimates, though probably still low-balled at that, of the cost of Obama’s health care reform proposals. We wonder if the folks at OMB should worry about receiving a dead fish in their cubicles.

Next, Rahm Emanuel has been awfully busy setting, resetting and ultimately, postponing deadlines for passage of health care reform legislation. What was supposed to be finished by mid-July then late July has been pushed off to after Congress’s August recess. In fact, Emanuel promised on July 24, 2009, just one week before the House adjourned for recess, that the bill would receive an up-or-down vote before the Congressional holiday. Unsurprisingly, he was wrong. And one thing we all know about mobster-wannabes, they hate being embarrassed.

A stalled vote poses a problem for Emanuel Bros. and Co., formerly known as the Obama Administration, as they are quite aware that the response in Congressional districts around the U.S. will be strongly in opposition to President Obama’s proposals to create a government overhaul of health care, resulting in the rationing of care, decrease in quality, stagnation of innovation in technology and treatments, hiking of taxes and ultimately, a decrease in an overall quality of life.

Still, Emanuel will not be discouraged. Emanuel called a goal of universal health care “non-negotiable,” in a recent Wall Street Journal piece. Also in the Wall Street Journal, Emanuel admitted just days after President Obama’s election in 2008, that he would not accept minor reforms to the health care systems, but instead, require “big, serious” changes.  Emanuel believes that now is the time to institute these sweeping reforms that result in a complete government takeover of health care. With a crippled economy, it would make sense for the President’s top strategist to shift gears and attempt to convince Americans that the key to alleviating America’s financial headaches is to pass health care reform. After all, as Mr. Emanuel said himself, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”