Gibbs: Not Taking Cheney’s Advice ‘Could Be The Best Possible Outcome of Yesterday’s Interview’

Agree 100 percent with Gibbs!

Just saw Gibbs on CNN (or was it Fox? I was flipping back and forth) and when he made his statement about Cheney, I had to just shake my head. This press spokesman is such a tool.
Let me be clear– I am not and never have been a Cheney fan. Not every Republican or even every Bush fan is a Cheney fan, believe me. Having said that, there was no reason for Gibbs to be so sophomoric, rushing to get in another Limbaugh shot and to refer to a Republican “cabal.” This is NOT supposed to be a partisan position. He is there to represent the president and to speak on behalf of the White House. It is beneath the dignity of the office to keep making these cheap shots.
Someone needs to remind Mr. Gibbs that the election is over. The White House is supposed to be in governing mode. And sometimes in that mode you take the high road when someone gives you a clear shot at the load road as that reporter did by asking about his reaction to the Cheney interview. Trust Mr. Gibbs never to pass up an opportunity to be petty.

“WASHINGTON — A new poll by the independent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has found that President Barack Obama’s popular support is eroding, with his approval rating dropping below 60 percent.
“‘President Barack Obama’s approval rating has slipped, as a growing number of Americans see him listening more to his party’s liberals than to its moderates, and many voice opposition to some of his key economic proposals,’ the Pew Center concluded.”
A nation begins to inquire, “what in God’s name have we done?”

The Democrats are nothing but friends to our enemies and cowards Cheney was a awsome Vice-President and Thank You for keeping us safe. Onl

“And my own belief is that the way we grow the economy, create jobs, create wealth is in the private sector.”
Is that how Cheney’s Haliburton was able to get no bid contracts?
Is that Cheney’s idea of private sector wealth creation?
BTW, did he ever fully divest himself of Haliburton stock as he stated he would?

“Cheney was a awsome Vice-President and Thank You for keeping us safe”
Except for Harry Whittington.

Better not to listen to the rants of a man who nearly destroyed our country. These chicken hawks never served in the military but were over eager in sending our men and women to a war for profit. They lied us into a preemptive war. Men have gone to jail for far lesser violations of the law.

Really?
Anyone who still apologizes for the past administration has a screw loose. By any measure, they were a complete failure. The fact that we were not hit after 9/11 (on Bush’s watch – 9 months into his administration) is not that impressive to me. If that makes a successful president, I guess Jimmy Carter was even more successful than Dubya.

moderate: It is beneath the dignity of the office to keep making these cheap shots.
============
yes.
I’m surprised how free they feel to say these kinds of things.

moderate:”This is NOT supposed to be a partisan position. He is there to represent the president and to speak on behalf of the White House.”
What? This most certainly IS a partisan position and has been used as such by every administration in my memory. Don’t you remember Ari railing against the NY Times and warning Americans “need to watch what they say, watch what they do.”
As long as he isn’t lying or swearing, it’s pretty much fair game and in line with precedent.

Obama’s doing a great job. He’s been putting the brakes on this out of control freight train like he should be. Next up is Medicare which is just about to bankrupt the government and immediately after that is social security. Think that people in this county still to this day don’t seem to get the mess we’re in and what we’re facing here. The days of sticking our heads in the sand and praying rich CEO’s can solve problems are gone, it’s time to actually tackle and fix problems. Doing nothing would be far far worse. Even if stock market rallies back to where it was it is not going to solve anything.

Cheney has never met a war that he didn’t like.

The Bush-Cheney cabal are losers. If they were any good, the RepubliCONS would still be running our government. They weren’t and they aren’t so why do you Cheney supporters still think the way you do? You’ve been listening too much to Limbaugh , haven’t you?

O-dumb-AH.. friend of the terrorist
giving millions of american taxpayers dollars to rebuild terrorist stronghol in Gaza
O-dumb-ah. I never met a terrorist i wouldn’t let go

I wouldn’t underestimate Cheney if I were in Gibbs place. Leave the judgemnt of Cheney to the history buffs, judicial system and the people.
Just acknowledge he has a right to his opinions and move on to the next question!

O-dumb-ah to the wives of the terrorist victims of 911…SO WHAT!!!

“there is virtually no private sector left to generate wealth.”?
Gosh!
I think this poster might want to stop watching TV. The US has a $13T GDP this year, that’s more than triple the GDP of China. It’s more than China, Japan, Germany, France and the UK put together.
It’s ten times the economic output of all of Africa, South America, and Australia put together.
Unfortunately, the amount of yearly taxes in the USA, $6T, is greater than the yearly economic output of China.
Imagine what the level of prosperity would be in this country without the taxes!

What is with all this talking? ..and I mean both sides too! Yesterday, I am shocked by Mr. Cheney and his devisive rhetoric and then I see Mr Clinton, rather Mr. Hollywood, speaking about Mr. Obama’s policies. What gives here? I don’t recall Mr. Reagan speaking during Mr. G H Bush’s term, nor Mr. Bush speaking upon Mr. Clinton’s term. Heck! I don’t recall Mr. Clinton speaking during W’s term! The only one I recalled who spoke a lot (but no one listened) was Mr. Carter! Former administrations SPEAK to the White House directly!!!! Don’t play your opinions out in the press!

W. Axl Rose:” Totally unprofessional behavior from a a White House spokesman.”
I guess pointing out the truth is now unprofessional. At least he’s not slandering him as unpatriotic through ‘anonymous sources.’ It’s refreshing to get back to an administration taking full ownership of their political strategy, and historically a far more professional approach to politics.

No attack after 9/11? Remember the anthrax terrorist attacks? Remember on whom?? And such a satisfactory conclusion to that attack as well.

AJ – You must be quite happy with Obama’s war now, and his lack of withdrawal from Iraq or Afghanistan or Gitmo. Oh wait, it’s not his fault. He’s only President and his party owns Congress!

Let’s see, WHO was vice president when the WTC was used for aerial target practice?…….
Thought so.
‘Nuff said.

moderate: “Someone needs to remind Mr. Gibbs that the election is over.”
Well, actually, it looks to me like someone needs to remind the former vice president that the election is over.
By the way, is he still in his wheel chair or was that episode over and done with as soon as Obama was sworn in and Cheney knew he wouldn’t have to stand up for a black man?

O-dumb-ah.. so what i appoint tax cheats and liars to my cabinet?

“Plumber” says Gibbs looks “scared” and “who could blame him?”.
Do you think he’s afraid he might be assasainated if he says the wrong thing?
“moderate” may have a point in that Gibbs shouldn’t lower himself by making cheap shots. Let’s just remember that the Cheney/Bush admin was the worst in modern history and it’s laughable to hear them desperately trying to salvage their tattered legacy by blaming Bam for their incompetance and the current state of the union. It’s sad really.

Obama, Rush Limbaugh isn’t even listened to buy grassroots conservatives!!! Stop obsessing about Rush like Bush did with bin Laden… Neither one has ANY significance or effect whatsover on ANYTHING!!!

Cheney…when will this nation finally see the back of that man for good?

Being a college drop out that he is, Rush manages to get ignorant conservatives useless talking points that are quickly refuted.
========
You know, I don’t think an ABC news website is the place you want to use this as an attack.
The late, great Peter Jennings was himself a high school dropout.

“Smiles, we won you lost. Change you scared to believe in. ”
No, so far it is “No Change” that we can’t afford. All Obama has done is be critical of the past while doing the samethings just on an order of magnitude greater!

I keep getting a message that I am some kind of threat to this posting what’s up? All I said is time will tell if this Prsedent does better than the last one! Is Cheney monitoring little old ladies now?

Under Cheney – Bush we had the worst terrorist act on American soil in history. And he is saying that their administration kept us safe? What is he smoking?

phillysmart:”With all the problems we are facing why does this administration keep attacking private citizens that disagree with them.”
Yes, how dare the press secretary answer a question from the press. And all Obama EVER talks about is Cheney. Why just… err… has Obama every mentioned Cheney since becoming president?
The reason the press secretary exists is so the president doesn’t have to waste time with this. But I guess you think Gibbs should be personally creeping through the scrub of Afghanistan looking for Bin Laden or something.

What an absolute Bozo! Is he totally clueless. A pathetic human being. The guy is a borderline war criminal and he wants to criticize the new administration’s foreign policy and national security policy. IDIOT. Will someone please shut him up!!! He along with Bush and Paulson oversaw the destruction of Trillions in investor wealth and the greatest raping of shareholder wealth known to man kind and this guy gets a national audience? Please CNN stop this nonsense. You have no business giving this Stalinist moron a national forum any longer. Good riddance.

Cheney is apparently still in charge of the past administration. I’ll bet bush still shines his shoes each day.

Has anyone noticed that the Chinese and the Russians are testing the waters (the S. China Sea incident and bomber bases in Hugoland)? What you should be concerned about is what they’re testing for? Because of O’Binden administration, there will be nuclear based bombers in Hugoland shortly. That’s my guess. Who knows what the Red Chinese will do…Taiwan? Japan?

jhw539 the Moron said:
“It’s refreshing to get back to an administration taking full ownership of their political strategy, and historically a far more professional approach to politics.”
LOL! Attacking a private citizen is a “professional approach to politics?” Maybe in Chicago!

Rush and Cheney……what a combination…

“Has anyone noticed that the Chinese and the Russians are testing the waters (the S. China Sea incident and bomber bases in Hugoland)?”
Isn’t it great that we became involved in a coup of Venezeula allowing Hugo to play strong man and kick start his military relationship with the Russians?
I am so glad that the Bush admin had the foresight to tell Hugo to stuff it when it came to spare parts for his F-16s because he called Bush names at the UN.
Hugo then promptly replaced the F-16s with Russian fighters which has brought us to the situation we now face.
Though I certainly agree that China is testing us like they did during the spy plane incident early in Bush’s 1st term (June I think).

“LOL! Attacking a private citizen is a “professional approach to politics?”
Like Bill Maher?
Or Joe Wilson?
Or the many other attacks on people who were against the War in Iraq?

Who cares what that EVIL MAN CHENEY has to say! As far I’m concerned he should be in jail with his pal Scooter Libby!
Heck and throw Karl Rove in with ‘em!!!
These Republicans have made themselves irrelevant.

LT: “Has anyone noticed that the Chinese and the Russians are testing the waters”
Like when they forced down one of our surveillance planes in international airspace and held the crew for 11 days on Hainan Island? That happened in April of 2001. Bush did get the crew back, but the Chinese had fun taking apart the plane and suffered no reprecussions. So far, Obama – and the US – is handling the China hazing better than Bush. Not sure they respect him more or if they are just so tangled up economically they’re scared to push too much.

phillysmart:”we expect our president and his staff to avoid polarizing the nation even further.”
Telling the truth may increase polarization in the short term, but is the only way to get back to a healthy discourse. Rush clearly sets policy in the Republican party and has the respect and deference of Republican lawmakers and party leaders. It is appropriate that the Whitehouse points this out so the public can honestly evaluate the actual Republican platform and allocate their support on the reality of it and not the bumperstickers.

jhw539… the truth seems to be relative to you… Obama speaks it and everybody else should just listen… think about how ridiculous that is

Gibbs is right. Rush must’ve been busy because evil stubborn cheney came to the stubborn arrogant rescue as usual and boy was he wrong as always. Bush and Cheney And limbaugh is the reason our country is in the mess to begin with. Its pretty bad for the republican part when they have to raise the party with a radio commentator/host. i mean how low can you get??? Please tell me there’s someone in the republican party with a political seat who can challenge the democrats instead of a RADIO HOST? I guess not. Thats why they lost. The republicans spent 50 trillion dollars to help IRAqis but when our current president wants to help OUR country the hypocrits speak out that we’re spending too much eventhough he’s helping his own people instead of IRAQ’s. enough said.

I’ll try this again. I wonder how many people posting here actually saw the interview yesterday. I did and if I did not despise our former VP so much I might have felt sorry for him. His responses were just as pathetic as the past administrations performance. Thankfully that chapter in our history is closed. My hope is that we can all survive the aftershocks from their misguided reign.

Why is anyone even talking to these 2 loosers. Does Cheney think he can scare the americans into believing there will be another terriost attack so we will put him back in office so her can inflate fuel prices again for his profit? Face it Cheney you are not in office! GET LOST OLD MAN! You and Busch did enough damage to this country!

I guess Gibbs would be funny here if the stakes were not so high. He and Obama will look like the biggest fools to walk the earth if we get hit by a terrorist attack due to their neglegence and arrogance.

jhw:And that’s why—there was an earlier question about has the President said anything to people in his own party—they’re reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is
=============
The “earlier question” mentioned in this quote was a very inflammatory remark regarding Sikhs and muslims, made by a Republican congressman.
Fleisher was not attacking Bill Maher. He was saying emotions were running high in the country, and it was not a good time to make inflammatory remarks.

Rush Limbaugh has no official position with the republican party… thats a fact

ryan & jhw: just because some on the right (as with the left) can’t articulate their points as well as you do not make you right. The bill maher thing was not the same, this bob guy actas like a 4 year old when he speaks. if you guys actually believe that this administration is doing a good job i feel for you. not that bush was any better but to sit here and push for these policies you have to be closed minded. as a matter of fact they just plain scare me.

A class act, Gibbs is not.

Obama’s a uniter! Just ask him.

phillysmart wrote: “Rush Limbaugh has no official position with the republican party… thats a fact”
Absolutely right. He’s an entertainer (supposedly) who just signed a $400 million dollar radio deal for the next 8 years. And he is STILL the de-facto voice and leader of the GOP. How pathetic for them…..

Gibbs is just another one of Obama’s clowns. All they need is a few performing animals and they could start their own circus. Obama can be the magician (all smoke and mirrors).

king of men: i guess the difference to me is that ari did not talk about bill maher EVERY SINGLE DAY. this guy has to avoid tough questions somehow so he deflects to rush. its like he is on the freshman debate team.

I wonder how long Obama’s administration is going to continue beating this one. Think they’ve ever thought it might back fire. Say like people are comparing Keith Olberman to being the head of the democratic party. Every election comes down to independents. Some like Rush,some don’t,some take him with a grain of salt. Whichever way, this is getting very old. Let it go. Find a new bashing tool. Keep the great divide. Keep the change a coming!

Why doesn’t Cheney just crawl back into his hole like a good little weasel, and remember that HIS TIME IS UP??? When Bush was in office, Cheney constantly acted like he thought HE was President – and now that Bush is out of office, Cheney STILL acts like he is somehow in charge. I wish his Secret Service guards would just tell him to SHUT UP!

“i guess the difference to me is that ari did not talk about bill maher EVERY SINGLE DAY”
Since Maher was summarily fired by ABC, the need to discuss him disappeared.

billy bob:”You can go on back to the Clinton years and look how he had Osama in his sights and did not pull the trigger. ”
Clinton did pull the trigger. Barely missed him by some accounts. Of course, Republicans took to the floor of Congress to denounce President Clinton’s attempts to kill Bin Laden, hammering him for a couple weeks to make sure he never tried such a thing again. So glad they put scoring a good partisan talking point about “Monica missiles” over our nation’s security. Thanks Republican party!
Posted by: jhw539 | Mar 16, 2009 5:14:54 PM
You guys just dont get it, this is not a football game you are rooting for, this is for keeps and the stakes are real cities and real lives. We cannot afford to make ONE mistake period. If Obama does not get information from someone because it might violate a terrorist rights and that person is involved in nuking a major city, Obama and Gibbs and the rest of the liberals will look like fools. I just hope it never comes to that.

“you do understand that 20 million people listen to rush every week. now, if you were to take the IQ of those and match it against the hip hop side of the radio what do you think you would find?”
Geee I wonder what you are trying to say here.

Why is Cheney’s opinion relevant? He was an out-to-lunch VP and VP is not a very important job anyway. The guy is a war mongering profiteer, nothing more.

billy bob:”You guys just dont get it, this is not a football game you are rooting for, this is for keeps and the stakes are real cities and real lives. We cannot afford to make ONE mistake period.”
Why was torture rejected as a useless strategy when dealing with Nazi prisoners in the depths of WWII? There are legitimate opinions that the harsh approach causes greater harm to our fight against an asymmetric enemy. Bin Laden does not need us throwing up a smokescreen of torture rationalizations and Abu Grahib to help him recruit for his evil ’cause.’

I hate Cheney and Limbaugh but get rid of Gibbs please. His glibness and continuing to comment on idiots like Rush gives them alot more press and power then they merit. I’d like to see a press secretary that sticks to the issues at hand and bypasses the Cramers and Limbaughs.

Wow, I really struck a nerve with you guys today. analogies are a way to compare. sorry thats too deep for you king, and as for ryan, go ahead, tell me what i was trying to say. and jhw, come on its obvious bob has mentioned rush more than a few times or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. i am at work, barely have time to respond much less look up different press conferences.

According Cheney, tax policy is the answer. Didn’t we try that for 8 years, give the rich a tax deduction? My god, when does the greed stop?

billy bob:”Ignorance is bliss. I live in one of those states and our main industry is putting people in space. Do you even know where that is???”
What? I think you may have pasted in the wrong quote – I didn’t say anything about a particular state. I was referring to the cruise missile attacks that targeted Al Quaida camps in Afghanistan launched by President Clinton in August of 1998. I have no idea what you’re talking about.

I like how people are saying if Bush and the republicans were good thet would still be in office . well if that is the case than why didn’t gore and the democrats win in a big land slide if Clinton was so great. I feel the $4.00 gas stuff drove the heating and automobile expenses to high. I sold cars than and it sure stop it in a hurry.Pres. Obama said the deregulation was a a cause well it was Clinton and his party that did that. They always switch parties when thing are bad at election time.

Idiot he is.

stickman:” and jhw, come on its obvious bob has mentioned rush more than a few times or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
You implied he mentioned Rush “EVERY SINGLE DAY.” I was pointing out that this was not a fact. If I had more time, I would count up how many days the Whitehouse has actually mentioned Rush, but I am willing to bet it’s around 10 in the last 12 weeks.
Your initial distortion of the facts makes reasonable argument impossible. The truth is every mention of Rush gets multiple headlines, sometimes for several days. But Rush is hardly a common topic and clearly is not a major issue for this Whitehouse, as much as the press loves to hype it.

The GOP mantra: “Tax breaks and the end-all of economic recovery”——-truth: Tax breaks and trickle down economic policies have FAILED.

jhw539 sorry I was trying to copy and paste this
Does anyone actually listen to Cheney anymore? Or for that fact the Republican party. Well except for the few states in the South that are lost in some cultural time warp. My plan would be to have a reverse LA purchase and sell, lets say Mississippi and Alabama. That way we could pay down some debt and get rid of the United States versions of the Detroit Lions 0-16.
Keep up the good work Gibbs!
Posted by: stuart3368 | Mar 16, 2009 5:27:19 PM
Ignorance is bliss

“The Abu grahib issue was a creation of our press as was the so called torture of prisoners in Gitmo”
Does it sicken anyone else that right wingers vacillate from torture is ok to torture never happened to accusations of torture are the press’s fault?

Gibbs your an idiot.

And my own belief is that the way we grow the economy, create jobs, >>>> We are loosing 630,000 jobs a month. What is the Obama solution as we are headed to 10% unemployment? Gibbs nice try to hide failure with humor but I am not buying it. You think job loss is a joke?

Isnt Gibbs the same man who said the economy is in Crisis last week and now is saying the economy isnt that bad? I think Gibbs needs a lie detector tied to him.

as you wish ryan, what i was trying to say was that (most) of the people who tune into talk radio are well educated, make over 75k a year, and own their residence. that means they are more likely to vote and have an educated opinion on the issues. i know you want me to be a crazy neo con racist 80 year old white guy… but i am not. do you always look for the worst in people?

Chicagbob: Oh really, tell me, how is Gibbs an “idiot” when Cheney has tried to pass the buck on the past 8 YEARS???????
What you and your simple-minded brethern of conservative neocons fail to see is that the tax policies of the Bush administration did NOTHING to promote economic vitality. For some bizarre reason, their philosophy is stuck in the dark ages, where feudal lords, or in our case, the top 5% earners of today get all the tax breaks and the middle class ends up paying more/$ income. Since the vast majority of small business owners and Americans do not fall into that category (greater than $250K/yr), it would make sense that our policies should target the people that need it.

“The Abu grahib issue was a creation of our press as was the so called torture of prisoners in Gitmo”
Does it sicken anyone else that right wingers vacillate from torture is ok to torture never happened to accusations of torture are the press’s fault?
Posted by: Ryan C | Mar 16, 2009 5:43:25 PM
It depends what one considers torture. Comparativly speaking the U.S. is not even close to other countries do. Waterboarding is not inflicting pain, so exactly why do you call this torture? I call this enhanced interrogation techniques.

Should anyone point out to Cheney that the worst terrorist attacks in our nations history (The bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebannon and the attacks of 9/11) have all occurred on the Republican watch….mmmmmmmmm

jhw539 I am not trying to say what our soldiers did at abu grahib was right, but is was blown way out of proportion by the press. During the same time we were being called the villians for abu gragib by our own press, our soldiers and contractors were being hung from bridges and having their heads cut off, remember?

terrorist attacks under democrat:
Clinton:
1993
Feb. 26, New York City: bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected.
1995
April 19, Oklahoma City: car bomb exploded outside federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 people were killed, including 19 children and 1 person who died in rescue effort. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the antigovernment plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly 2 years earlier. (See Miscellaneous Disasters.)
Nov. 13, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen.
1996
June 25, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001.
1998
Aug. 7, Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. 4 men connected with al-Qaeda 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. A federal grand jury had indicted 22 men in connection with the attacks, including Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who remained at large.
2000
Oct. 12, Aden, Yemen: U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. 17 sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network.

“It depends what one considers torture. Comparativly speaking the U.S. is not even close to other countries do.”
So our Consitution and ideals on human liberty should be guided by what the despots of the world are currently doing?
“Waterboarding is not inflicting pain, so exactly why do you call this torture? I call this enhanced interrogation techniques.”
I love how a right winger parrots the admin line attempting to legalize torture as their own thought out reasoning.

Billy bob: I think the whole purpose of the detention prisoner debate is this: These people are not given the legal rights that a US citizen has. So what ARE we fighting for? If it’s not liberty, then what?

Ryan C, What is torture Ryan? Where would you draw the line if your family’s life depended on it?? Be truthfull.

GOP alternative to the stimulous plan: TAX BREAK ONLY POLICY IN THE TUNE OF $500+ BILLION

I have got to go but where would all of you draw the line if the life of a loved one depended on it. Be truthful.

FACT: Jimmy “Print Money” Carter introduced the CRA (community reinvestment act) during his abysmal administration. Bill “Oops, did I get any on you?” Clinton resurrected the CRA because he thought 70% of Americans should be homeowners. His administration told FNMA and GNMA to open their doors to that 20% of Americans labeled as SUBPRIME BORROWERS. So what really happened is Bush inherited yet ANOTHER democratic demagogue’s warped vision of utopia….AND HERE WE ARE.

Yup, I say these are worse:
Under Ronald Reagan and Goerge W. Bush
The Beirut barracks bombing was a major incident on October 23, 1983, during the Lebanese Civil War. Two truck bombs struck separate buildings in Beirut that housed United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon—killing almost 300 servicemen, most of whom were U.S. Marines. The blasts led to the withdrawal of the international peacekeeping force from Lebanon, where they had been stationed since the Israeli 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The organization Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the bombing, but that organization is thought to have been a nom de guerre for Hezbollah —- or a group that would later become part of Hezbollah[1] —- receiving help from the Islamic Republic of Iran.[2]
The September 11 attacks (often referred to as nine-eleven, written 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Islamist terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.[1][2] The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying at least two nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There are no survivors from any of the flights.
Excluding the 19 hijackers, 2,974 people died in the attacks.[3][4] The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 90 different countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center’s collapse.[5]

No one is listening to the Republican Party anymore because there isn’t much party left. Also the arrogant, out-of-touch attitude voiced by Limburg & Cheney is doing a wonderful job of destroying what little remains. And after the mid-term elections there will be even less.

Any of you that actually understand economics would see that the Republican party uses 2 tools in their efforts to fix the economy. Both have failed.
1. Depending completely on the treasury to lower interest rates to stimulate lending. FAILED. Rates are now less than 1% to banks.
2. Tax cuts for the wealthy. FAILED. (see last 8 years for information)
Democrat approach (Keynesian)
1. Since the public does not have the purse strings to spend, govt steps in to spend, thus creating jobs and injecting pure capital into all levels of the economy.
2. Tax cuts for the middle class (the vast spenders) to stimulate THEIR pocket books
3. Invest in infrastructure for long term stability

Great now the Republicans can go after the “powerful Al Franken!” PLEEASE!!!

So I go off to do my work and come back to see this thread has really exploded. CUrious, I come in and read the thread and notice a pattern. The folks who lean left are jumping all over stickman and billy bob, and some comments are sensible and some are nitpicky. Come on, jhw, you know full well that stickman did not LITERALLY mean “every single day” but his point, which is correct, is that recently Gibbs took frequent potshots at Limbaugh as part of an overall strategy by not only Gibbs but other Democrats to try to paint the Republicans in general in a negative light.
I notice, however, that these same people do not engage with the more measured statements of Sally J, who rightly took issue with Gibbs’ language. Yes, tarring the Republican party as a “cabal” is not nice, but never fear, sally, Gibbs probably had no clue what the word meant anyway. As Sally says, the president is supposed to represent all the people, not the Democratic party. And this particular president made quite a point of how he was going to change the tone in Washington and to insist that people “put away childish things” and act like grownups. Gibbs’ comments do not reflect the high-flown promises of his boss.
As this is getting long, I’ll respond to my own critics in the next post.

—————————
So, you are saying that EVERYONE LAID OFF OR UNEMPLOYED RIGHT NOW IS “LAZY”??? I’m sure that comment will fare well with the large middle class population on unemployment right now.

okay jhw, you made me waste some time, even though you know you could have done it, march 2nd, march 9th, and today, throw in rahm on march 2nd, and i am sure i couldn’t find them all. looks like you got a white house stuck on rush. ryan c, i have read your posts here before and normally you are very civil and friendly. today you are not. I AM NOT A REPUBLICAN.

Everybody blames Bush for the past 8 years. Guess who had control of the congress – demos! And before that weakling repubos! It is time we got real Americans to represent us. Not a bunch of tax cheaters who try to make a career out of it.

Except for Harry Whittington.
—————————————
Last time I checked, Harry was still alive. On the otherhand, Mary Jo…..

Time to take to the streets folks. This inexpereinced community organizer is going to give the farm away…..just print more money and “bail” the losers out….

If my family’s life depended upon it, I would do everything in my power to protect them regardless of consequences to myself.
Thankfully the US government does not operate as though its family is in mortal danger.
BTW stop watching 24 for your torture fetish rationalizations.
Posted by: Ryan C | Mar 16, 2009 6:04:04 PM
I would assume that would include torture to protect your family??? Than that means you are not above torture, thanl you for being honest. The second part I will say this, Our goverment use to operate as we were under mortal danger. Finally I have seen 24 twice and did not care for it.

BlofeldBuildings: Your name still fits you true intentions and you have yet been able to back up a single accusation or speculation with real facts or information from a reliable unbiased sources. If you can’t back it up than don’t say it. Get an education than you can play with the big boys.

“…strategy of Obama [...] = Reward failure, punish the real hardworking Americans and advance every immoral liberal agenda he possibly can” : You mean like reward a bunch of corporate-exec FAILURES by letting them take home huge bonuses for doing THE WRONG THINGS? Or do you mean punish “hard working” Bernie Madoff and advance such “immoral agendas” as that if you steal taxpayer money, YOU GO TO JAIL???
Clearly, the demi-GOP prefers the Bush/Cheney “moral, conservative” agendas of giving no-bid contracts to your own company (Halliburton) and if anybody dares object, water-board them on the spot!

sciencedroolsovergop Bush/Chaney failed security? Ummmm let’s re-cap the National Security concerns since Obama/Biden have been in office 50 days…China increasing military spending 15%, Iran demands an apology from America before talks not too mention their increased nuclear ambitions and their drones flying over Iraq, my personal favorite, talk of Russian bombers in Cuba and Venezuela, North Korea threatens to launch a long range missile with promise of war if we shoot it down…..and yet the Obama White House has little to say…Yea, I feel safe alrighty with Obama at the helm…

The one person who is as obnoxious as
Cheney is that little slimeball Gibbs.
That guy is a snake with legs.

destra, you almost have it… whether its carters cra, or gramms glass-steagall, the problem is not demo or repub. that’s why it is very frustrating having open dialogue on these sites. everyone is on one team or the other. i believe we both are on the right track, they all have to go.

hey manny do you pay taxes? If so congrats – most of obamas cabinet members didn’t

carter, clinton and obama would make nice lawn boys at the limbaugh estate!

Gotta go work but rest assured we will not roll over and die!

It’s interesting to see Obama and his cronies throw out jabs to radio personalities who do not tow their line. I’m sure glad Bush didn’t give any credability to Randi Rhoades or Al Franken.

Stickman: I wouldn’t be opposed to the rollback of payroll taxes for SMALL BUSINESS. I know those taxes kill alot of small guys trying to make it. Makes it hard for me to rationalize cutting them for large corporations though, when executives get millions in compensation. Plus, you have to understand, that anytime you cut a major tax, there won’t be that money there anymore to fix the roads, schools, hire more policemen, fund the millitary, etc. So there are drawbacks to every scenario. Which is why Obama wants to cut middle class taxes and use govt. money to subsidize infrastructure and the items I mentioned above.

i have to go to work so for the last time BUSH STINKS! we get it. so the next time you stub your toe or burn the chili, blame yourself not bush. just because bush stunk sooooooo bad does not give barry the right to come in and spend 10 times as much and screw up even worse. get it? some of us did not approve of bush, and now we are just flat out scared. and science guy, i meant the amount you recive in your check, i may have used the wrong term. 13 bucks a week (the middle class tax cut you mentioned) is going to do nothing and i mean nothin. cut the fed tax on my check and i will spend it, trust me. i will continue to read your posts guys but i have to go to work while i still have a job!

Stickman and Science: A compromise I believe would be to understand Socialism, and capitalism can BOTH be abusive to the needs of mankind if you let either of them run rampant upon the real needs of society. Checks and balances are required to protect the abuses of either. They both are needed in ALL society and cannot exist by themselves.

As promised, my response. It was pointed out to me various times that the press spokesman IS a partisan position. Ryan_C wrote, “Going back to at least Reagan, the Press Sec has been a partisan position though the partisanship usually is to the President vs party or ideology.” But that is not the same, dear Ryan. Of course the press secretary is supposed to defend the positions of his boss and to be partisan, that is, taking sides passionately, in dealing with issues related to president. So Gibbs should defend the president’s version of the stimulus bill from those who want another sort of stimulus, for example. And in doing that, he would be taking on republican politicians in congress who are opposed to that bill. But to knock Rush Limbaugh with alarming frequency (but not every day, right, jhw?) and to gratuitously joke about Limbaugh and a Republican cabal when asked about Cheney, rather than simply deflecting the question with a polite but firm statement is not being partisan to the White House or to his boss but being partisan to the Democratic party and, I would argue, childishly so. He could easily have turned aside the question with something along the lines of “Former Vice PResident Cheney’s views are his own and not of any particular interest to those of us currently in the White House working hard to keep America safe and to rebuild our economy.” See, a dismissal of Cheney as irrelevant and a reminder that there’s a new sheriff in town that is not so childish in tone and substance. There’s no need to score zingers to make your point.
Jhw oddly tries to use the example of Ari Fleischer to “prove” that “the republicans did it first, so it’s okay.” Not a new tactic by our pal Jhw, who loves to claim his/her statements are facts while everyone else’s are opinions. Let’s provide context,JHW, for your example. It only took a few minutes of research on the web to track down the incident to which you referred. No, I had not remembered it, to be honest. And it’s not surprising to see that this is one of those perennial left-wing memes that has taken on a life of its own, just like those “right wing talking points” of which we who disagree with jhw are so often accused of following.
So, after Maher made his unfortunate comment about cowards, a comment that got him, as Ryan pointed out, cancelled, Ari was asked in a press briefing on September 26, 2001, about what Maher had said. HEre’s what Ari said in response to a question about whether or not the president was outraged by the comment: “I’m aware of the press reports about what he said. I have not seen the actual transcript of the show itself. But assuming the press reports are right, it’s a terrible thing to say, and it unfortunate. And that’s why—there was an earlier question about has the President said anything to people in his own party—they’re reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they say, watch what they do. This is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.”
First of all, for less than a month after 9/11, I think that Ari’s response was pretty measured– there was no sarcasm and little in way of personalizing. Second, you will notice the reference to an earlier question about saying things to people of the president’s own party– that’s a reference to a tasteless remark made by a congressman about people who stand out because of their dress (the congressman seemed to confuse Sikh’s religious headdress for Muslim gear and should not have been profiling anyone, a point that Ari made). Mr. Fleischer puts the two incidents together (the congressman and the comedian) and says that in the charged atmosphere in the near-term aftermath of 9/11, people needed to watch their words and actions carefully so as not to inflame the situation.
This seems to me to be a completely nonpartisan statement. I do not see Mr. Fleischer singling out Democrats or implying that Democrats are the ones who need to be on their guard. And I do not recall Mr. Fleischer gratuitously lashing out against Michael Moore or any other Democrat who was not the subject of a question in order to score some sort of Republican point.
Sorry, I see a big difference between what Gibbs is doing here and what press secretaries in the past have done. As so often happens, it seems to come down to who’s ox is being gored (not you, Al).

“Be careful what you wish for, you might get and it may be your son or daughter or grandchild being tortured in a foreign land because the U.S. can torture than why can’t we?”
diboggan what box have you been hiding under for the past few years whilst our people have been beheaded for the pleasure of the Muslim viewing population. But you probably don’t call that torture as they are killed not injured or hurt and left with scars and mental images.
But you really don’t know if we tortured anyone. All you have is the “word” of avowed terrorists who are allowed and required to lie to infidels and can kill his own people if it will do harm to an infidel.
Waterboarding was deemed legal to use and so was other methods. But now that we have the wimps in office it isn’t.

coyote blue: VERY GOOD QUESTION Mr. Blue. You need to move to the front of the class. Why was Bush and Cheney not investigated for their offences against the constitutional and the illegal war in Iraq? There are a number of offences that do need answered to. An investigation is a GREAT idea. Good question Mr. Blue, Very good question. Thanks for bringing it up.

The Cheney administration did the worst job ever of protecting Americans from terrorist actions. Any advice from Cheney should be filed appropriately.
Nice one, Mr. Gibbs!

“Waterboarding was deemed legal to use and so was other methods. But now that we have the wimps in office it isn’t.”
Strength to right wingers is authorizing someone else to do the torturing than denying torturing ever occurred.
To the rest of the world that is cowardice.

“The nitwit posting in my name can cease and desist immediately.”
Agreed.
Impersonating is the lowest form of trolling.

Is ad hominem attack all that Gibbs is going to offer?
What a dirtbag.
Obama has brought Chicago to the entire country.

stickman: ????? What are you referring to with your $13 comment?

I like this Gibbs guy. He’s smarter than what we’re used to in a White House spokesman, and he knows when to be serious (most of the time) and when it’s appropriate to be a bit witty.
Responding to some irrelevant comments made by disgruntled ex-VP Cheney — that’s a fine time to lighten things up a little and give everyone a laugh. Cheney’s remarks weren’t anything important.

Posted by: Ryan C | Mar 16, 2009 6:54:50 PM
A few years ago Eric Holder refused to call waterboarding “torture.”
Now he has courage to call us all cowards.

stickman: The game is not over yet Mr. Stick, the game is only slightly over 50 days since Obama has been in office. It took Bush and Cheney 8 years to help this county be where it is right now and it will take a lot of effort on “everyone’s” part to be solution oriented and constructive instead of being cynical and destructive. i.e. be part of the solution and get involved if you don’t like what you see. Work locally and work your way up. If your ideas make sense and can produce real results than you can be part of the solution. I would encourage you to do so. I challenge you to do so. Good luck!

thats what the middle class gets, 13 bucks. unless you get something i am not aware of. thats the only break i have heard of. and infrastructure? great just what we need, more unions. see how well that worked in MI. i am sorry but i can not help but to be a little cynical.

dlboggan, such a good post except the tired over and over and over (the failed policies of the last 8 years) blah blah blah. dems and repubs are to blame! all of us! be honest now, are you really a fan of dodd, barney, pelosi, reid, rangel, waters etc? when i ask this question i get crickets

my goodness, how what a quick whit. But then the republicans aresuch easy targets for fodder.

“A few years ago Eric Holder refused to call waterboarding “torture.”
Now he has courage to call us all cowards.”
Well we all know what a coward you are dr john.
But you seem to be confusing Mukaskey and Blair with Holder.
And their respective definitions with Holder’s speaking of national cowardice when it comes to discussions on race.

whoa! ifyouwatch it it’s even more funny! Not only did he get the ‘I think not taking financial advice…” shpeel, but he got “the hand” ..the “tell it to the hand” LOL! How true. here they are in the very thick of this mess, today Obama combing over the details of the Bush AIG bailout and trying to find some loophole he can use to stop financing bonus’ and cheney is giving advice! LOL!! too funny.

Does anyone remember Clinton making interviews when Bush took over critiquing him??? Did Gore ever go on national TV and throw mudat Bush???? no. Never. Republicans ARE the party of rude ignorant stupid people.

how come when we finally get to the nitty gritty i don’t get any answers from you folks? well do you? do you like nancy? how about rangel? chris dodd anyone? my fav barney? i could go on. do any of you like these leaders? what about your 13 bucks? what are you going to do with it? tell me please. if you support this garbage so much tell me why.

“and to suggest that we, at the United States, are killing innocent people is just absurd and very offensive.
“…yes, because we are thefirst country in the history of all peoples to go to war and not kill any civilians. Call the Guinessbook of world records! it’s a miracle! When you go to war, you KNOW you WILL kill innocent people. That’s why the reason to GO to war must be clear, and indefence. Much like storming into someone’s house and killing a whole family because one guy bugs you. YOu better show you were in imminent danger of being killed yourself or you’re going to jail for murder. I’m of a mind, you go into a foreign country, guns ablaze, shock and awe, bombing the crap out a city, you KNOW you are killing innocent people, and we sure did = next question. Why? What was our purpose? D ont tell me we killed them to free them. I’m surehat doesn’t wash with the relatives of those killed.

Change, huh?
Same old immature behavior attempting to counteract criticism.
Not much different than Bush admin, so far.
Just a distraction to keep you stupid masses busy fighting, while the politicians ship your tax dollars to AIG for bonuses and to pay off counterparties like Goldman Sachs, foreign banks, sovereign wealth funds and California (just to name a few).
Such ignorant suckers you are! You and your children will be paying for years. Well, those 50% of you who actually pay federal taxes.
Oh, nevermind, go back to your political sniping. Fools. Suckers. Sheep. You reap what you sow.

Cheney said tax policy is the way out of this mess? Well, that decides it, Cheney isn’t just a lying crook. He’s criminally insane! Why didn’t I see this before. The nerve of some people. Wow, to stick with your B.S. right to the end. Mind boggling indeed.

Agree with Jack’s comment below. I don’t think Cheney’s comments are valuable in the least and an ‘ad hominem’ response – to consider the source – is perfectly valid.
Most of us couldn’t care less what Cheney or Limbaugh blathers about.

stickman: About the only thing you cannot run for in this land is federal government posts and that are many many ways to get involved with whatevery party or organization you choose. Just get involved and make you voice heard. Speak well, write well, do well and you can and will be heard. I urge everyone here to do just that, includin myself. So, formost above all, get involved with real productive, positive solutions for ALL of our sakes. You for me and I for you and whomever is lucky enough or unfortunate enough to lead this country from whatever state is may be in at that time. Go forth and “make it so”.

to you left wing Socialists, Cheney has more brains in his little finger than you do in the entire cabinet. Everybody is starting to understand Obama is an empty suit.

I am ashamed of Obama and his tax cheat cabinet

I can’t believe I voted for this guy.

The Republican party has a chance to become a great country first party again if they would just get their you know what together. Every time Cheney or Rush, or big mouths Hennidy or Savage open their mouths they take a step back, not forward. For years they have lost touch and now focus on the hope Obama fails. They listen to Rush and Hannidy which are the very examples of what is wrong with the “Grand Ole Party.” Just look at its recent campaine and past. The Republican Party shamelessly abandoned its values. Not only did Republicans disavow their leader (George W. Bush), they pressured presidential candidate John McCain into supporting far-right positions he had previously opposed, thereby destroying his political integrity. Meanwhile, the win-at-all-costs mentality of Republican strategists led to the adoption of an overridingly negative and cynical campaign strategy—one that attempted to demonize Barack Obama by portraying him as a terrorist and someone without a U.S. birth certificate. Even more shameful is that McCain and his campaign (with a handful of exceptions) tacitly endorsed calls for violence against Obama by failing to discourage rally goers who shouted “off with his head” and the like. However, the most irresponsible decision of the year was McCain’s choice of running mate, Sarah Palin, who was painfully unqualified and neither the reformer nor maverick she purported to be. From her very first public appearance it was clear the self-proclaimed “hockey mom” was in over her head, and although handlers bent over backwards to hide her intellectual shortcomings from the American people, she was ultimately exposed as being totally unprepared to be vice-president. Before pointing your fingers at Obama,Gibbs or anyone else, try looking at yourself and what you need to do.

hey ohio – we are thinking of getting together a protest maybe march on DC. You might think about joining. We will hava a new website up and running in a few days to organize it.

ABC News, “you’re trusted source.”
I’d like to see the Jon Stewart treatment on that one.
Though, he’d never do it. He only targets his enemies, and I doubt a “friendly” like ABC News would ever make that list.
See how subjective things are? Most everyone comes with a bias. Yet, those with a bias bash those they deem bash worthy.

Thomas and Ohio: Gibbs got your attention, didn’t he. Did it upset you. Make you think about it. I’ll bet a lot of Americans got it. Cheney is a fool and a man without a soul, unpatriotic and unAmerican. Rush and Cheney will make a fine couple together and should go hunting together.

“Rush and Cheney [...] should go hunting together.”
YES!!!
Deep in the Amazon rain forest, alone, with only poison-frog darts and blow guns. In fact, forget the frogs: they both have enough venomous spittle and PLENTY of hot air!

dlboggan…posted>>> The system feeds itself if the balance is maintained. Capitalism or Socialism can either be termed a parasite of society if either grows too large. You might call it a symbiotic relationship that works best for both when balance is achieved.
————————————
I thought this is a very intelligent statement… Balance is key… either way… Nice…

Ha, Gibbs is such a fool. Everytime someone brings up an Issue he doesn’t like he hurls personal attacks instead of dealing with the issue.
The Messiah’s telaprompter has no answers, all they can do is campaign and blame Bush. I hope we survive the next four years as a country. This is what happens when you elect a rockie for all the wrong reasons with no resume.

Hey Gibbs…you’re no Tony Snow. Class has left the White House.

Mr Cheney and Mr limbaugh do look alike. I wonder if their related?

Mr Cheney and Mr limbaugh do look alike. I wonder if their related?
Posted by: dan kolich | Mar 16, 2009
Actually Obama is related to Cheny. They are like 6th cousins or something.
I think Obama looks Osama
Gibs looks like Chenny
and the whole Dem party follows the lead of Olberman and PMSNBC.

sciencerulesoverGOP Fact it was pointed headed folks that led to this economic melt down. These ivy league elitists are the captains of industry trained in the finest universities that basically destroyed wealth by high risk gambling. Their back room payoffs are legendary. Dod Franks and republicans as well. And when has the government been any good at running anything except the military? Gibbs is a joke the job losses are terrible and the Obama is a travesty.

Well done Gibbs.Now on dont shut your mouth on all liberal translations aimed at you and the president.

Mr. Gibbs is Mr. Obama’s worse spokeman in this history. I agree with former VP Cheney. He is right!

Gibbs is a pig.

Did Obama vet this ja-ck as- Gibbs.

Good for you, Robert. Who is this liar to finally to out of the “hole”. If Cheney was so honorable, why is he critizing the President. Afterall, this jerk is a vice-president that left office 53 days ago, and find the need to “slam” our new President. This is unpresedented, and it isn’t proper. Honorable men doesn’t do this Cheney! But I quess trying to save this worthless party of yours. Good for Gibbs. No one have to take anything from Cheney anymore. He’s a liar.

Obama the telepromter president….empty suites..empty words….

Typical dem reaction to anything they do not want to talk about. Attack, throw mud and redirected it toward other places rather than have a dialog. Sounds like a spoiled 12 year old. He knows that what Cheney said was true. The question is still WHY not call them what they are. I’ll say it then. TERRORISTS! Maybe gibbs will come after another private citizen like he has several times. Why doesn’t he just make Pakistan a glass source they he can brag that obama got Osama.

Gibbs talking for the Capone administration. I mean Obama, who knows how to grease the wheels with bribes and payola.

Finally, some class in the White House!
After years of lies from Ari, Tony, and Dana, I’m so glad that Robert Gibbs called VP Cheney on his outrageous comments.
Why is Cheney attacking the POTUS? Cheney needs to go back to his bunker.

“Why is Cheney attacking the POTUS?”
Because like the the fictional Henry Potter from that Jimmy Stewart film (whom he actually resembles very closely) Cheney is a scheming, insecure, warped and emotionally crippled little man who needs to put others down so that he can feel himself to be big and strong.

How ridiculous that the Obama administration is targeting private systems and making fun of them and their ideas. Remember Joe the Plumber that was the great ones work also, how much longer is it going to take for American citizens to wake up to what this administration is doing!!!!

This administration is a circus. They are acting like 5 yr olds. For 8 years we had all the Democratic president critcizing Bush nonstop and Bush never reacted. The animals are runninng the zoo!!!

Why is anyone giving this paranoid sociopath a forum? In his pathetic attempt to reject blame for the economic meltdown by saying “nobody could see it coming”, he merely proves that the Bush administration was incompetent and out-of-touch; not caring whatsoever about this nation and its people. This man should be in prison.

When the dust settles and people finally talk about this administration, Dick Cheney will be revealed as an amoral, paranoid sociopath who operated a criminal shadow government and disregarded the Constitution as a list of “suggestions.” With that administration, this country came closer to a dictatorship than ever before in our history. “I don’t think you can blame the Bush administration for the creation of those [economic] circumstances,” he said.” Pathetic! Where does he think the buck should stop?