Obama huddles with Chicago reporters: Emanuel would be "excellent" mayor

The Chicago Sun-Times has Obama's glowing endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago:

President Obama praised mayoral hopeful Rahm Emanuel during a brief session in the Oval Office on Friday with four Chicago reporters.

"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.