'Know Thy Enemy' Is the GOP Motto

Rising House Democratic leader Rep. Rahm Emanuel is one tough political battler, and now the Republican leading the charge to return the GOP to power in the House wants his side to know just how formidable the opposition can be. We hear that Rep. Tom Cole, head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has purchased a couple dozen copies of the Chicago Tribune bio on Emanuel: The Thumpin<': How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to Be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution. The reason is simple. Cole wants his staff to learn about the guy who orchestrated the 2006 House Democratic takeover. The goal, says NRCC spokeswoman Jessica Boulanger, is to use that knowledge against Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Emanuel to take back the House in 2008. "We're looking forward to the sequel," says Boulanger: "Nancy , You Screwed Us: Rahm's Profanity-Laced Tirade on How the Democrats Learned to Raise Taxes, Slash Medicare, and Got Thumped for It."