The appointment of Rahm Emanuel, the powerful Illinois congressman, as White House chief of staff will allow President-elect Barack Obama to avoid at least one mistake made by Bill Clinton when he took office in 1992.

The resignation as chief of staff of Mack McLarty, a boyhood friend of Mr Clinton, 18 months later was greeted with relief after it became clear that the gatekeeper to a president needed to be a Washington insider who could control the president’s staff and tightly manage his schedule and operations.