Obama: Rahm Is Doing 'Just Fine' On His Own

Last week, Rahm Emanuel released an ad that featured President Obama's words of praise from his White House send off on October 1. Though it sounded a lot like an endorsement, Emanuel's opponents criticized the ad, calling it misleading and saying that the president had not actually endorsed his former chief of staff.

During a Tuesday press conference in the White House, Obama confirmed that.

When asked whether he has been "placing calls" on Emanuel's behalf, Obama said he didn't have to.

"I don't have to make calls for Rahm Emanuel. He's been doing just fine on his own," Obama said, according to Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times. He also joked about the city's recent spate of snowy weather. "And, you know, he's been very busy shoveling snow out there...I've been very impressed with that. I never saw him shoveling around here."

Though he may not actually want to endorse Emanuel, the candidate's new ad "Leadership" definitely proves that Obama has his back.

"When I first started assembling this administration, I knew we were about to face some of the most difficult years this country has seen in generations," Obama says in the spot. "I needed somebody at my side who I could count on to help get the job done."

Mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle called the ad "misleading" and Carol Moseley Braun's campaign spokesman said the President is "entitled to his opinion. But, it doesn't change the reality that Rahm Emanuel is a hypocrite."

President Obama has previously said that Emanuel would be a "terrific" mayor, but has since stayed out of the mayor's race in Chicago. First Lady Michelle Obama told the Sun-Times last week that she and the president have not voted yet--and wasn't willing to talk about who she would vote for.

Chicagoans vote for mayor on Feb. 22. The president and his wife will vote in the Chicago elections by absentee ballot.