My dream job in the Obama administration
Ever since Barack Obama was elected, I’ve received myriad queries about whether I’m going into the administration. And, for a variety of reasons, my answer has always been, "no, not interested." After reading Ryan Lizza’s profile of Rahm Emanuel in The New Yorker, however, I must confess that there is one job that I would ...
Ever since Barack Obama was elected, I've received myriad queries about whether I'm going into the administration. And, for a variety of reasons, my answer has always been, "no, not interested."
After reading Ryan Lizza's profile of Rahm Emanuel in The New Yorker, however, I must confess that there is one job that I would do for free:
I noticed that over [Emanuel's] left shoulder, on the credenza behind him, was an official-looking name plate, which he said was a birthday present from his two brothers. It read “Undersecretary for Go F**k Yourself.”
Ever since Barack Obama was elected, I’ve received myriad queries about whether I’m going into the administration. And, for a variety of reasons, my answer has always been, "no, not interested."
After reading Ryan Lizza’s profile of Rahm Emanuel in The New Yorker, however, I must confess that there is one job that I would do for free:
I noticed that over [Emanuel’s] left shoulder, on the credenza behind him, was an official-looking name plate, which he said was a birthday present from his two brothers. It read “Undersecretary for Go F**k Yourself.”
Now that’s my kind of job. It’s a bit senior for me, though. If asked to serve, I would consider the stepping stone to that position — Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eat S**t and Die.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. He blogged regularly for Foreign Policy from 2009 to 2014. Twitter: @dandrezner
More from Foreign Policy

Stop Falling for Russia’s Delusions of Perpetual Victory
The best sources on the war are the Ukrainians on the ground.

Could Sabotage Stop Putin From Using the Nuclear Option?
If the West is behind mysterious fires in Russia, the ongoing—but deniable—threat could deter Putin from escalating.

While America Slept, China Became Indispensable
Washington has long ignored much of the world. Beijing hasn’t.

The World Ignored Russia’s Delusions. It Shouldn’t Make the Same Mistake With India.
Hindu nationalist ideologues in New Delhi are flirting with a dangerous revisionist history of South Asia.