In Rahm's Gift Bag: Dead Fish and Eli's

When you hail from the town Al Capone made famous and play politics as aggressively as Chicago's old Mayor Richard Daley, then you've got to have a bag of tricks and treats for most every occasion. That's certainly the case of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Democratic dynamo who gets lots of credit for returning the Democrats to power in the House. We are just learning that he makes a good student of the Godfather. Example: Back when he was just a House aide, he sent a dead fish to a pollster he was upset with, according to a new bio, The Thumpin', by the Chicago Tribune's Naftali Bendavid. But nowadays, he's more likely to send treats. "He's a big fan of sending cheesecakes as 'Thank-yous,'" says an aide. And not just any cake: His fave is Chicago's famous Eli's Cheesecake.