Gibbs Talks Himself Into Another Flap
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who irritated fellow Democrats recently by saying Republicans might reclaim control of the House in November, is once again in hot water with his own party, after lambasting President Obamaâs critics on what he called âthe professional left.ââ
In an interview with The Hill newspaper, published Tuesday, Mr. Gibbs unloaded his frustration with liberals who are themselves frustrated with the president.
âI hear these people saying heâs like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested â I mean, itâs crazy,ââ Mr. Gibbs was quoted in the newspaper as saying.
He went on to condemn the âprofessional left,ââ saying: âThey will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and weâve eliminated the Pentagon. Thatâs not reality.ââ
Mr. Gibbsâ remarks raced around the blogosphere and dominated much of the daily White House briefing, which was conducted Tuesday by his deputy, Bill Burton, who explained that the press secretary had a sore throat.
Mr. Burton did not back away from his bossâs comments. But he conceded that people inside the White House â the president included â are sometimes frustrated with press coverage of Mr. Obamaâs initiatives, and suggested that this frustration accounted for Mr. Gibbsâs remark.
As to just who constitutes the âprofessional left,ââ Mr. Burton said, âI think he was just talking about folks who mostly live in this town and talk on cable TV.â
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/gibbs-talks-himself-into-another-flap/
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
The White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who irritated fellow Democrats recently by saying Republicans might reclaim control of the House in November, is once again in hot water with his own party, after lambasting President Obamaâs critics on what he called âthe professional left.ââ
In an interview with The Hill newspaper, published Tuesday, Mr. Gibbs unloaded his frustration with liberals who are themselves frustrated with the president.
âI hear these people saying heâs like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested â I mean, itâs crazy,ââ Mr. Gibbs was quoted in the newspaper as saying.
He went on to condemn the âprofessional left,ââ saying: âThey will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and weâve eliminated the Pentagon. Thatâs not reality.ââ
Mr. Gibbsâ remarks raced around the blogosphere and dominated much of the daily White House briefing, which was conducted Tuesday by his deputy, Bill Burton, who explained that the press secretary had a sore throat.
Mr. Burton did not back away from his bossâs comments. But he conceded that people inside the White House â the president included â are sometimes frustrated with press coverage of Mr. Obamaâs initiatives, and suggested that this frustration accounted for Mr. Gibbsâs remark.
As to just who constitutes the âprofessional left,ââ Mr. Burton said, âI think he was just talking about folks who mostly live in this town and talk on cable TV.â
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/10/gibbs-talks-himself-into-another-flap/
