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Agreed, but generally speaking a COS has his/her hands full managing the staff, ensuring an orderly flow of information to the top, and making certain that decisions are transmitted to appropriate depts, and following up to be certain of implementation. Little time for policy formation is left.
Rahm might be the most powerful COS since what's his name who served Nixon, but I don't remember that fellow influencing policy on any issue except Watergate.
Look, Rahm is a smart and he's a whip cracker, no doubt about that, but anyone who thinks Israel will be any better off because Rahm is COS is deluding himself or herself.
And I believe the man will have a very difficult time dealing with the permanent bureaucracy. Rahm moves and makes decisions very rapidly. Bureaucrats don't make decisions at all, if they can help it. And do nothing, if decisons aren't to their liking. Frustrated by the inactivity at DOS, JFK dreamed of establishing a second DOS; all foreign policy decisions would be made at this shadow DOS; the current DOS would be used to keep people happy carrying papers from office to office. Rahm has a very abrasive personality; dealing with him has been described as developing a tooth ache while your head is throbbing or the other way around. That's all well and good in the political arena but “crats” eat people like that alive, after driving them stark raving mad.

One more factor: Given his past (non-)record, Obama is in so far over his head in this job that he’ll have a permanent stiff neck from looking up. If he cracks and turns into a de-facto ventiloquist’s dummy for his advisors, then access becomes power - and Rahm will not only have access, but control access. Given Rahm’s personality, this could cripple the executive power.