Emanuel to speak at Chamber dinner

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel will speak at a Chamber of Commerce board of directors' dinner in November, a move designed to ease tensions between the Obama administration and the business group.

The Chamber has been among the White House's top targets, along with health insurers and Fox News, for opposing several of its first-year legislative priorities. The group has been outspoken in its opposition to the cap-and-trade bill and new financial regulations, including the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

The Obama administration has gone around the organization to deal directly with top CEOs of major corporations. Earlier this month, the White House hosted a private lunch for the CEOs of Kodak, Amazon.com, FPL Corp., and Kraft. 

The Chamber confirmed Rahm's speaking appearance on Saturday.

The business organization has also suffered from internal strife. Large companies such as Nike and Apple have withdrawn from the Chambar due to its stance on cap-and-trade climate legislation, which passed the House in June.