Obama is going to disappoint his African American base in Chicago again. He probably won't formerly endorse or campaign for Rahm Emanuel for Mayor but he made it pretty clear that Rahmbo is his choice:

"I think he would make an excellent mayor and he would bring an incredible energy to the job," Obama said in a meeting where the conversation was off the record except for a few comments about Emanuel. Obama met with the Chicago reporters shortly after he formally announced Emanuel's departure from his administration as White House chief of staff.

Obama's comment on Friday echoed words he used in an interview a few weeks ago when he was asked about Emanuel running for mayor.

There are a couple of African American factions in Chicago who would have dearly loved to hear the president talk about their candidates so glowingly. But Rahm doesn't really need Obama's endorsement to win which is probably why the president felt free to throw the bouquet. The political war brewing between blacks, Hispanics, reformers, and the regular Democratic machine has the potential to leave a lot of blood on the floor before the mayoral race is decided next spring.