Michelle Obama: Mayor of Chicago?

If the First Couple were like the Clintons, it would be a good bet that Michelle Obama would have already announced her candidacy for mayor of Chicago. They’re not the type, but the Obamas’ town is still in a state of shock: Richard Daley, the mayor of the city that gave JFK his victory in 1960, has announced his desire to move on — a true bombshell that could well have repercussions in the corridors of the West Wing.

Chicagoans can’t believe their ears: The mayor for life, Richard Daley, is leaving. For 56 years — aside from two short interludes — the father and then the son, both with the same first name, ruled the city. The father, mayor from 1955 to 1976, died in office. He had assured Kennedy’s victory over Nixon by guaranteeing that not one vote (or more) would be lost thanks to the electoral machine controlled by the Irish, the “tribe” from which the Daleys obviously come. We generally forget that Chicago is also a Kennedy town. The patriarch, Joseph, owned the Merchandise Mart in the heart of the city, the largest building in the world when it was built in 1930. And Joe had a long reach and an open wallet when it came to his sons.

Richard Jr. has been the mayor since 1989. Despite the corruption and violence of the Midwestern metropolis, Daley’s initiative accomplished a tour de force: keeping Chicago from the decline of its rivals Detroit, Cleveland or St. Louis. On the contrary, the city experienced a very dynamic artistic, culinary and urban renaissance. Not bad for a city that was long the slaughterhouse capital of the world.

Richard Daley’s decision caught everyone off guard and opened the door to political jockeying. During an interview on PBS, Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff, confided: “One day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago.” The 50-year-old Emanuel, whose three young children still live in Chicago, was moreover the first to react to Richard Daley’s decision.

The announcement of the mayor’s departure could not have come at a better moment. In June, rumors had begun circulating in Washington that Rahm Emanuel wanted to leave his post after the midterm elections. He had arrived at an agreement with Barack Obama for a cordial separation, the two men recognizing that their personal styles were the exact opposite of one another: Emanuel, aggressive; Obama, in search of compromise.

Richard Daley’s departure could thus speed things along and allow Barack Obama to reorganize the White House in order to put it in order for the 2012 electoral campaign.