I first met Rahm Emanuel in 1991 or 1992, probably the latter. He was one of the Clinton campaign’s boy wonders, along with guys like George Stephanopoulos and Bruce Reed — young political comers who would go on to have an enormous role in the nation’s policies for nearly a decade. Emanuel was beloved in the campaign for a simple reason: He was a cash-raising machine.

Clinton already had Bob Farmer, who was Michael Dukakis’ campaign finance director in 1988, in his corner — in fact, Farmer’s decision to join the campaign in 1991 was an early sign that Clinton was a player. But it was Emanuel who really raked in the bucks — by some estimates, he brought in $70 million, an unheard-of amount at the time.

Now he’s done it again. The Chicago Tribune has a great takeout on the job Emanuel did as the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, helping to lead the Democratic takeover of the House (unless you believe this carping from Sheldon Drobny, whoever he is). It’s a compelling piece about a guy who I suspect still has some bigger aspirations.