White House "Attacks" Chamber of Commerce ... and Rahm Emanuel Keynotes Chamber Event

Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet at 1:57 AM on October 26, 2009.

Ever been in one of those really fraught, slightly pathological hot-and-cold relationships?

The Washington Post, yesterday:

The chief lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Sunday complained about a White House campaign of "invectives" and "name calling" against his organization ...

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, longtime Chamber lobbyist Bruce Josten said the group's relationship with the White House began to sour after differences of opinion developed about President Obama's health care and economic agendas.

"Let's be clear, we haven't raised up the cain. It came from their side of the street," Josten said ...

Politico on Friday:

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has accepted an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a dinner for ...

... the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors on Nov. 4.

Ugh, Rahm at the Chamber -- talk about 'sleeping with the enemy'. I'm never sure whether the White House is torn between wildly divided factions, routinely divorces rhetoric from action as a way of keeping its base happy without making too many waves or is in the midst of a deviously brilliant campaign to drive its ideological opponents insane.

Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet.