Obama: Tea-Baggers Control GOP Agenda

New York has an early look at Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter's book on the Obama White House, The Promise. Tidbits (some newsier than others):

• Obama tells Alter that GOP opposition to the stimulus "helped create the tea-baggers and empowered that whole wing of the Republican Party where it now controls the agenda for the Republicans."
• Obama doesn't think much of the "diplomatic skill set" of Larry Summers (presidential nickname: Dr. Kevorkian) and thought he deserved to get the boot from Harvard.

• Also on Summers: He got whiny when he wasn't on the short list to get the president's Blackberry email address. Rahm Emanuel made it right.
• Notable Rahm f-bombs: "I'm going to kill that f---ing dog," referring to Bo's early accidents and the resulting presidential cleanup duties. "Take your f---ing tampon out and tell me what you want to say," to a male staffer.
• A third party says budgetary stud-muffin Peter Orszag wears a "bad toupee."

(More President Obama stories.)