Quote of the Day

"I'm releasing our enemies list. No one is on it. Now can I see the donors to American Crossroads?"

~White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in response to criticism from Karl Rove that the President had a veritable "enemies list" who he targeted from his Executive Office perch.

Gibbs Calls Out Fox

I don't care what anyone says, challenging Fox News should happen more often.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a question from Fox "reporter" Wendell Goler. Unfortunately for Goler, he led with the Republican/conservative/anti-Obama administration/Fox News "Obama's Katrina" meme, which Gibbs was all too happy to respond to, and talk about the "Heckuva job, Brownie" appearance.

 Result: Goler/Fox News bitchslap.



"You can get on a conference call and maybe do some work." ...BOOOOM!

Some days, I just ♥ Robert Gibbs.

(H/T Crooks & Liars)

Tweet of the Day

CNN's ratings are in the shitter and have been for some time, but instead of maybe trying something new like being a real news organization again with no bias like the BBC, they decide to go the Fox News route and kowtow to the right. Nevermind that Fox has that demographic sewn up, CNN is following them down the road to perdition in the hopes of gathering Roger Ailes' table scraps.

So they hire right wing loon and Red State editor Erick Erickson, who immediately says something ridiculous about pulling out his wife's shotgun should a census worker come on his property.

Bill Press then asks White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs for a reaction to the statement and reports it. CNN, who has since stopped reporting in lieu of four hours of Wolf Blitzer and his Magical Beard, instead of researching for verification accuses Press of making it up, to which Press comes back with the impressive Tweet above.

CNN - the most trusted name in news indeed.

Burn of the Week

The Washington Times reported today that RNC Chairman Michael Steele has been raking in the speaking fees and it has former chairmen up in arms. This comes on the hells of Steele, never one to know when to keep his mouth shut, equating the Democratic party pushing health care reform through as "flipping the bird" to the American people.

At today's White House press briefing, NBC's Norah O'Donnell asked Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the heated rhetoric in the Senate health-care debate, specifically citing RNC Chairman Michael Steele's comment yesterday that Democrats were willing to "flip the bird" to the American public.

Gibbs replied, "How much did that interview cost him?"

OH, NO HE DI'N!!!

Douche Quote of the Day, Part 4

posted by Armadillo Joe

"I think she'd say that her word choice in 2001 was poor"
- Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary

(sigh)

Why concede any ground at all when the wingnuts were well and truly about to implode into a fine red mist of degenerate racism and reprobate misogyny?

Why?

Washington D.C. is hard-wired for Republican Rule. As Atrios pointed out today, no matter how bad things may be for Republicans at any given moment (and they look pretty bad right now), the GOP will always enjoy a home field advantage in Washington. That's why we bloggers invented the term "Villagers" to describe all those Kewl Kidz who golf-clap their approval whenever some politician displays strength by punching a dirty fucking hippie in the face. Their incomes and class and economic upbringing and social status all make them part of a non-partisan ruling elite who nevertheless distrust an "Other" which usually resides in the Democratic Party. This reflexive distrust of the less monied, the less plugged-in, the less connected, the less powerful, the less glamorous -- frankly, hatred for the riff-raff -- gives them a natural affinity for the policies, procedures, arguments and methods of the Rethugli-goons, whose raison d'tre is to advocate for The Villagers -- not as "Villagers" per se, but simply as the rich, entitled, powerful people who expect special treatment that they are.

I mean, hell, Cheney's speech last week was presented by our MSM opposite Obama's like anything a potentially-indicted private citizen has to say about anything even remotely merits 1/10th the attention as an important speech by the sitting president. And Cheney reinforced that whole misguided notion by growling his way through a pro-torture "answer" to Obama national security speech, strutting and preening like the titular head of a government in exile, which to much of The Village he is.

So, now, the official stance of the White House is that some of the things Sotomayor said casually in a public forum almost ten years ago are out-of-bounds and, like that poorly-trained friend's dog we all know who will take the slightest breath of a hint of attention from a house-guest to jump and slobber and bark, a perpetually-in-search-of-conflict media pounces on the hairline fracture to split it wide-open. Shuster and Fineman nattered away on Hardball today like two old biddies in a sewing circle about the young hussy who just moved in down the street.

As digby said about it today:

Republicans were acting like crazed freaks, alienating Hispanics by the thousands and making women hate them even more, and the whole country was aghast. Why they gave them validation on this, I don't really understand.

[...]

this controversy will make it necessary for Sotomayor to bow and scrape before Jeff Sessions and Orrin Hatch. The wingnuts have been hoping for a chance for some payback for Thomas and maybe they'll get a pound of female flesh this time.

Two steps forward, three steps back.

This Ain't Your Ordinary Bush Military Tribunal

Let's not get our panties all in a bunch. There's been a lot of talk about how the Obama administration is just a continuation of the Bush years, especially this last week with the reversal on releasing more detainee abuse photos (which I addressed earlier in the week) and now with President Obama's decision to continue military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees. But let's get one thing straight: Dubya and Dick aren't running things anymore.

Robert Gibbs: "...first and foremost the President of the United States is going to do what he believes is in the best security interests of the people of the United States.

I think military commissions have a long tradition in the United States. The President spoke in 2006 in his belief that military courts and commissions had a role to play in the detainees that were at Guantanamo Bay, but also spoke forcefully about the notion that the system that had been first set up and ruled unconstitutional, and then passed legislatively and largely ruled unconstitutional again by the Supreme Court, wasn’t working. And I think the best way to understand why it wasn’t working -- and when I say "wasn’t working," I mean, wasn’t working in seeking swift and certain justice for families of victims as well as the American people because in about eight years -- a little less than eight years’ time -- exactly three cases had gone through military commissions.

The President, as I said, during the debate said that properly structured military commissions had a role to play. The changes that he is seeking he believes will ensure the protections that are necessary for these to be conducted in order to reach that certain justice as well as live up to our values.

...statements that have been obtained from detainees using cruel, inhumane, and degrading interrogation methods will no longer be admitted as evidence at trial.

Second, the use of hearsay will be limited so that the burden will no longer be on the party who objects to hearsay to disprove its reliability.

Third, the accused will have greater latitude in selecting their counsel.

Fourth, basic protections will be provided for those who refuse to testify.

And fifth, military commission judges may establish the jurisdiction of their own courts.

Again, if you look back through the arc of this process beginning back in 2001 and 2002 through Supreme Court making decisions in 2005, moving this to the venue of Congress in 2006, and the legislation that the President supported that came out of the Senate Armed Services Committee with strong bipartisan support -- four Republican senators joining all the Democrats involved -- in passing legislation that the President believes met the goals of instituting swift and certain justice and the protections adequate enough to be reviewed by courts, and believes so."

Stating that this is simply a continuation of the Bush policies without noting the changes is being disingenuous.

Matt Lauer Calls Out Rick Santelli On His White House Threat Claim

Santelli: "Well, I'm not saying 'threatening'..."

Really? That's not what you said on G. Gordon Liddy's sorry excuse for a show.



Good for Matt Lauer to call out this moron. And Lauer didn't even mention the fact that the reason Robert Gibbs "called out" Santelli is because he was asked a question about Santelli's specific action!

Q On the foreclosure plan, aside from Rush Limbaugh and that cable rant on the floor of the Exchange, there really does appear to be some --

MR. GIBBS: Chuck's network? (Laughter.)

Q -- there really does appear to be some anger out there from people who just don't believe the President when he said that only people who acted responsibly are going to be helped here. How can you assure people that you're going to reward only people, only homeowners who acted responsibly?

Can this guy please fade back into obscurity now?

A Mere Senator

I'm currently watching today's White House press conference and I've now caught Press Secretary Robert Gibbs twice use the phrase, "a mere Senator."

"The president talked about this when he was a mere senator and a candidate..."

How soon before everyone jumps on this as an insult to the US Senate or arrogance on the part of Obama that he no longer considers himself "a mere senator"?