-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel will bring a `` tough-minded '' and `` pragmatic '' approach to the White House when he becomes President-elect Barack Obama 's chief of staff , according to people who know the Chicago , Illinois , native . Rep. Rahm Emanuel has experience in the White House , on Wall Street and on Capitol Hill . Emanuel , a former top aide to President Clinton , has accepted the position in the new administration , Obama confirmed in a statement Thursday . `` I announce this appointment first because the chief of staff is central to the ability of a president and administration to accomplish an agenda , '' Obama said . `` And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel . '' In the job , Emanuel would oversee the White House staff . The chief of staff is usually involved in all the major decisions that the president makes and is responsible for making sure the administration carries out the president 's wishes . Watch Emanuel call himself `` fortunate '' '' The chief of staff also often is involved in negotiations with congressional leaders when major legislation is under consideration . Jim Manley , a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nevada , called Emanuel : `` An excellent choice . '' `` Rahm knows the Hill . And he knows the White House . He is a brilliant strategic thinker and someone who knows how to get things done , '' Manley said . Manley also rejected the idea that Emanuel is a true partisan that could not work with Republicans . `` That 's ridiculous . Rahm understands politics is the art of compromise . He 's got a deeply held set of views but he also understands to get things done you have to compromise , '' he said . After leaving the Clinton White House , Emanuel , 48 , was an investment banker on Wall Street and later was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 from a heavily Democratic Chicago district . He quickly rose to become the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House . Watch what Emanuel brings to the White House '' It is Emanuel 's combination of experiences -- plus his strong personal relationship with Obama -- that would make him a strong chief of staff , said CNN political analyst Paul Begala , a fellow Clinton veteran . `` He has spent more time in the White House than President-elect Obama has . That matters a lot . It is a special place with its own rhythms , '' Begala said . See who Obama may be considering for his Cabinet '' `` But , maybe most importantly , he 's got the relationship . He has known Barack and Michelle Obama for a number of years . '' Before reports emerged that he had accepted the position , Emanuel told WLS-TV in Chicago that he had to consider the possible impact on his family . Watch how Obama is starting his transition '' `` I have a lot to weigh : the basis of public service , which I have given my life to , a career choice . And most importantly , what I want to do as a parent , '' Emanuel said in an interview that aired Wednesday . Emanuel added : `` This is not a professional choice . This is a personal choice about what my wife and I want to do for our family , as much as what to do with my career . '' Emanuel 's at-times blunt approach would ensure the White House runs smoothly for the new president , said Mack McLarty , Clinton 's former chief of staff . Watch as McLarty calls Emanuel an `` excellent choice '' '' `` Rahm is high energy . He 's direct . He 's a tough-minded pragmatist . So I think the years have been good to him in that regard , '' McLarty said . `` I think the high-energy directness will serve him well . `` Rahm , like a lot of us , made mistakes , but he quickly corrected them . '' However , the lawmaker 's direct style has ruffled a number of feathers in Washington , and Emanuel is known as one of the toughest partisan fighters on Capitol Hill . After reports that Emanuel had agreed to be Obama 's chief of staff on Thursday , the top Republican in the House , Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio , questioned the president-elect 's pick . Election T-shirt : Obama inspires historic victory `` This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington , make politics more civil and govern from the center , '' Boehner said . According to a 2006 profile of Emanuel in Fortune magazine , Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma warned his fellow Republicans of Emanuel 's ferocity in a letter two years ago . `` He 's dangerous , '' Cole told Fortune then . `` He has a closing intensity . When he 's got a political kill in sight , he 's absolutely relentless . '' But David Gergen , a CNN senior political analyst who has worked in five administrations , said the contrasting styles between Obama and Emanuel could help the new president get things done in Washington . `` They are obviously setting up a good cop/bad cop routine in the White House . ... Barack Obama can be the good guy , '' Gergen said . iReport.com : Who should be in Obama 's cabinet ? Emanuel has made a career of being the tough guy . In the 2006 Fortune profile , Begala described Emanuel 's aggressive style as a `` cross between a hemorrhoid and a toothache . '' `` I love Rahm , but that 's a small group of us , '' he told Fortune . CNN 's Ted Barrett and Don Lemon contributed to this report .