"[I]t's about absolute control and the means to achieve it"

First, court intrigue is the way of politics in Chicago and Illinois.

Second, Ax’s — and to a degree Obama’s — problem is that they aren’t used to governance that requires multi-party and intra-party skills, where the chief executive isn’t in absolute control of all levers of government. The “Chicago Way” is profoundly misunderstood. It isn’t, first and foremost, about bullying politics; it’s about absolute control and the means to achieve it. The “Chicago Way” would never work in DC, and I believe their frame of reference doesn’t allow them to see DC otherwise.