By Lindsey Ellerson

Mar 13, 2009 4:07pm

Obama to Media: “Take Whacks At” Gibbs

As press were filing out of the Oval Office this afternoon — after a briefing photo op with President Obama and Paul Volcker — Mr. Obama asked, “How’s Gibbs doing?”

“Great,” said the small band of reporters in the day’s press pool. “Not too bad.”

“Take whacks at him," the president advised.

- jpt

User Comments

I say, “Take whacks at Obama!” Oh, I forgot, you liberals in the media are in the tank for “The One”!

Posted by: Bozo | March 13, 2009, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm

He is terrible but I have to say he sounds just like Obama, painfully slow and graded language.

Posted by: ken | March 13, 2009, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm

Gibbs will get thrown under the Obama bus very soon

Posted by: tuss | March 13, 2009, 5:27 pm 5:27 pm

Ha, Ha….you’re a bunch of pitiful idiots. The president asked a question and made a joke! Bozos

Posted by: sngeorgia | March 13, 2009, 6:45 pm 6:45 pm

What I dont quite understand Bozo, is how you could forget. “We” outvoted your candidate and party by considerably large margins for good reason. Have you looked around at the end product of 8 years of conservative leadership. Can you maybe understand why we want something different. If being “in the tank” means we want to give the guy a chance, then yeah, I guess we are.

Posted by: Not a Bozo | March 13, 2009, 7:48 pm 7:48 pm

I felt sorry for Volcker at this photo-op. He just kinda sat there and made one little comment.
It was obviously an attempt to try to re-infuse Obama with some economic gravitas.

Posted by: MayBee | March 13, 2009, 8:14 pm 8:14 pm

I think Gibbs is a fabulous spokesperson. He’s clear and articulate, even funny when the subject permits. Give the guy a chance to do his job.

Posted by: kathy | March 13, 2009, 8:36 pm 8:36 pm

Umm umm umm count the times Gibbs says ummm

Posted by: Christine Laffey | March 13, 2009, 9:16 pm 9:16 pm

Conservative Bozos seem to love the Internet. They love trolling the various forums and trashing Obama, but never, never, do they offer any true insight. Why are they scared? I think it is because if Obama is successful, the conservative movement is finally dead. No more hypocrisy about keeping government out of people’s affairs while it tells you whether or not you can have an abortion, among other hypocrisies. Just as the bubble wasn’t sustainable, either is the hypocrisy of the Fox Network getting rated as the worst network for children and family values while Fox News acts as a mouthpiece for the Rush crowd. What is refreshing about Gibbs compared to Republican press secretaries is that he has a sense of humor and doesn’t act like the press is his enemy. This, too, is probably dispiriting to conservative Bozos. If I was a conservative, I’d put my head in the oven.

Posted by: The Artful Dodger | March 13, 2009, 9:20 pm 9:20 pm

Gibbs is terrific! Imagine, a thoroughly honest White House Press Secretary, who is also a thoroughly and genuinely nice, decent fellow!

Posted by: Steve | March 13, 2009, 10:06 pm 10:06 pm

OK Steve, I’m imagining that. What does it have to do with Gibbs though? Gibbs, to hear him tell it, has created many Fortune 500 companies, when he’s not single-handedly decimating armies of America-hating terrorists. He calls Holiday Inn Express home.

Posted by: Scott | March 13, 2009, 10:19 pm 10:19 pm

Wow. People who don’t like Obama have nothing substantial to say do they? In the tank? Graded language? What that the majority of America gave him an A in language and everything else? Obama has been kind and well spoken. Therefor people haven’t a reason yet to not like his administration. With Bush they had 8 years worth of BS to vent about. What has Obama done? Voiced an opinion about leading America in a new direction. For shame. Oh and all you trolls please let me know if my post is too wordy. I can try and dumb it down for you. NumbN*%$

Posted by: Dee | March 13, 2009, 11:05 pm 11:05 pm

i counted the uuummmmmmmssssss that gibbs says and i lost count after a trilion times.i bet the bus will be wasted after it hits that big head of his.

Posted by: kep | March 13, 2009, 11:09 pm 11:09 pm

There is great “transparency” since this election of President Obama. It is so transparent the sour grapes, the poor loser syndrome, the remaking of history, the pathetic state of affairs that was left broken after the boy wonder was given such a magnificent toy to play with and help him to grow up. Think about it. If you had been a Republican and were one now, you might be having a terrible time and be saying all kinds of things, defying facts, to help yourself feel better.

Posted by: TJ | March 13, 2009, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm

How anyone who likes(d) bush can even make a derogatory comment about Gibbs or Obama is beyond me.
Bush and cheney destroyed this country….got us into a war on false pretenses, obliterated a huge surplus of cash, and ruined the economy. I understand the appeal of basic conservative principles but no one acts on them they spent spent spent, taxes were only lowered for the rich.
And yet they are bitter and back their party. utter fools.

Posted by: dengal | March 14, 2009, 1:03 am 1:03 am

Hey, Dee – Nothing substantial to say about Obama? In 53 days, he has done to the country what you say Bush did in EIGHT years. He is still without a completed cabinet, his tax cheat treasury sect’y is incompetent, he thinks he can make nice with lunatic leaders around the world, he has bankrupted the country for decades, , he is showing his utter incompetence daily – he can only speak “eloquently” with a teleprompter, His diplomacy skills are nil – exhibited by his pitiful and low class treatment of PM Brown of the UK, and the president of Brazil, He has already lied about transparency, lobbyists in his cabinet, and earmarks, he is setting up a welfare state while overtly trying to destroy the free market – I could go on, but any die hard leftnut liberal should get the picture.

Posted by: Mosie | March 14, 2009, 3:27 am 3:27 am

Obama is doing a splendid job. That’s why I’m proud to say I’m in the tank with Obama and Michele. All conservatives and Republicans do is lie about Obama’s intentions. After eight years when conservatives almost totalled our country, it’s refreshing to have a president who understands what’s going on. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity sound very immature and hypocritical when they accuse Obama of talking down the economy when they’re advocating for his policies to fail.
Why can Rush and Sean run for office and let’s see how many votes they’ll get.

Posted by: In The Tank | March 14, 2009, 3:31 am 3:31 am

Conservatives are embarrassed. They had the tiller of government for eight years and look what happened. Their embarrassment is so deep and relentless, they have nothing to do but invent reasons to hate liberals in general and Obama in particulal. If they weren’t so culpable for the mess we’re in, I’d feel sorry for them. I don’t. We have real work to do. Shut up. Get out of the way.

Posted by: Don D | March 14, 2009, 3:51 am 3:51 am

Hmmm: painfully slow and graded language…you mean words carefully placed so as not to be misunderstood, complete sentences, complete ideas expressed in a thoughtful
and cohesive manner? You find this offensive?
You came to believe that the mangled gobbledy gook spouted by Bush was the presidential standard of speech. Sad

Posted by: Jennifer Rabuchin | March 14, 2009, 4:28 am 4:28 am

Why does it matter to conservatives how many times Gibbs says umm? Bush had some fast talking, lie spinning press secretaries like Scott McClellan who talked a mile a minute, and never had to say umm because every response was spin from their talking points memos for the day. McClellan admits that he lied for Bush over and over again and the press was taken in by every word he uttered without actually doing any investigative reporting. It doesn’t matter if Gibbs says a million umms,as long as he is telling the truth.

Posted by: Kate1149 | March 14, 2009, 4:49 am 4:49 am

Hey “In the tank”, you might want to re-think your facts, Obama is further along with his cabinet appointments than Bush was at this point. But when did any Republican take time to “think”, all of your time is used constructing your mountain of lies, and devising ways to cheat the American people.

Posted by: Kudzu | March 14, 2009, 7:57 am 7:57 am

Where has the 700 Billion Bush took in so called Bail Out go?

Posted by: Rico | March 14, 2009, 8:23 am 8:23 am

DEE is right on~ that Obama is a great and well deserved, latent tribute to the black community is a given~ while I, like millions of others could care less about the color/race of a president,(would have voted for Colin Powell in a heartbeat),beyond the above stated: his performance to date scares the wits out of me.

Posted by: bridgit | March 14, 2009, 9:14 am 9:14 am

I think Mr. Gibbs is just doing something that hasn’t been seen in Washington in a long time. He’s thinking before he speaks.

Posted by: John Terry | March 14, 2009, 9:42 am 9:42 am

“In the tank” contends that (a) Obama has done more damage to this country in 53 days than Bush did in 8 years. And, at the same time he contends that (b) Obama has achieved nothing in 53 days.
Are not the two contentions mutually exclusive? Surely both cannot be true.
The inability to see the obvious contradictions in his own contentions indicates that “In the tank” is, in fact, a “christian” Republican.

Posted by: Abby | March 14, 2009, 10:06 am 10:06 am

I Love It! People like “In The Tank” whining, complaining, and “imagining” things 53 days into President Obama’s 1st term (yes, I said 1st, “in the tank”, and there will be a 2nd)after eight years of the most incompetent, criminal, deceitful administrations in the history of this great country. President Obama has done more for this country in 53 days than “W” did in his criminal eight years. It is going to be fun reading “In the tank’s” crying for 16 years (eight of a Hillary Clinton Presidency). So get ready for the long-haul “in the tank” – you got a lot of complaining to do!

Posted by: dgs | March 14, 2009, 10:26 am 10:26 am

REPUBLICAANS NAYSAYER BLAH BLAH BLAH SAME OLD TALKING POINTS NOTHING NEW NO SOLUTION NO NEW IDEAS

Posted by: SCOTT | March 14, 2009, 10:40 am 10:40 am

Democrats: never had class – never will….

Posted by: Allen | March 14, 2009, 12:09 pm 12:09 pm

Gibbs reminds me of Tom Arnold, maybe he can get guest host the redneck wedding show with Tom after Obama throws him under bus.

Posted by: buckaroobonsai | March 14, 2009, 12:43 pm 12:43 pm

I think some of the commenter are reading the layout wrong. Abby and Kudzu are refer to Mosie’s comment, not In The Tank’s. The commenter’s name is under the post, not over it. Follow the arrow.

Posted by: ccairnes | March 14, 2009, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm

The Brother Gibbs – why should we whack him – he’s just the messenger.

Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | March 14, 2009, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm

The difference between Colin Powell and Barack Obama is that Colin Powell is mature and has experience.

Posted by: Paul | March 14, 2009, 2:56 pm 2:56 pm

Kudzu and Abby, you tell m e I “can’t think”, and you two can’t even tell who wrote the comment- even though there is an arrow pointing to the name that makes it perfectly clear! And Kud, re: my “mountain of lies”- everything I said is true. I defy you to tell me one thing I said that isn’t. And Abby, where in my comment do “I contend that O has done nothing in 53 days”? As I said, every hundred billion he has already spent has gone towards bankrupting the country for decades, along with stealthily implementing far left social programs that Nancy, Harry, and BO himself have been salivating over for years. Your inability to see that there WERE no contradictions in my contentions makes you a typical anti-religion uber liberal Democrat.

Posted by: Mosie | March 14, 2009, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm

I find it amazing that this President promise to end corruption and Stop the Bush like way of doing business in Washington. But to use the White House as a Public affairs war room against news services or radio heads who question or critizes Obama administration on the American People time and money is wrong. Why is the president allowing this to happen right under his own Promises. Well I guess he really didn’t mean what he said when he said what he would do right…
“Change we can count on.” Yep..

Posted by: WilliamTell | March 14, 2009, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm

Maybe Gibbs will do a Scott McClellan when Obama decides to get rid of him.
There is a resemblance there.

Posted by: RR GOP | March 14, 2009, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm

Where is all of Saddam Hussein’s money?

Posted by: Just Saying | March 14, 2009, 10:36 pm 10:36 pm

Every time I hear Gibbs or Obama speak without a prompter it makes me cringe.
So ahhhhh obviously unmmmmm searching for ya know the right ahhh words to keep up the uh approval nuhh numbers without really ah uh uh saying anything cluh cluh close to the truth.

Posted by: rednorth | March 15, 2009, 12:19 am 12:19 am

Good luck trying to get the media to grow up and grow a back bone mister President. The Diva’s of the MSM have been selected by our corporate nobility to be vacuous idealogues unable to fathom truth or honesty. Trivia obsessed charlatons pandering to ignorant rabid deluded right wing know nothings. They are sold as the “liberal media” while all the time vomiting the lies they gorge themselve’s on daily. Idiots peddeling nonsense to fools.
97% of an 11 trillion dollar National debt ran up by Republicans is what causes hyper-inflation, not 700 billion to build roads employ teachers, firefighters, police and other state and municipal workers and provide tax relief to the 95% of Americans who are disproprtionataly taxed.
No resposibility need be taken by a generation of conservative ideals that have destroyed the Nation when it can be blamed on a man who has only been in charge for 6 weeks.
No accountibility for a decade of lies and misinformation that has led to un-needed endless war for the enrichment of those who started them or the finincial fiasco that has stolen the collective wealth of the last two generations of Americans and put it in the pockets of the economic royalty.
No, Repbulicans are fundementaly incapable of comprhending the truth, logic or intellectual honesty. Their corporatist conservative enablers in the MSM will never point out the logical fallacy on which they have created their deluded fantasy world. Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Ayles have blueprinted the propoganda format by which the People are systematically misinformed and lied to and that format has been implemented without apology. The will and intent of the American people has never been made more clear than in the recent election but that means nothing when it is only a rabid minority of fools that must be constantly pandered to.

Posted by: no | March 15, 2009, 1:45 am 1:45 am

After 8 Years of President Bush, why do conservatives Still insist on critizing President Obamas Speaking ability. I guess when all else fails critizes his strengths LOL

Posted by: Bigprezy | March 15, 2009, 10:19 am 10:19 am

Once again-Americans really do not accept critique well. This includes the American so-called journalists. Americans are really slow to change. Congress works slowly and this is always said as if that cannot change and thus we are less productive to move forward as a country.
Americans and America has fallen behind. Seems for the last eight years, we have perfected our shopping skills. Now what?
We as Americans have dropped the ball in many ways. All this blame on government! We are the government. So- guess who was always considered the 4th arm of the government-journalists!

Posted by: Sasha | March 15, 2009, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm

Hannity loves Gibbs – he blasts him pretty much every night on his show. He calls him the “gift that keeps on giving.” Hannity loves to harrass liberals. It makes him laugh.
I like Gibbs – I think he is basically an honest guy that has been tossed into one of the hardest jobs on the planet. He is holding up well – much better than a lot of people would and he carries the torch for the administration. I liked him better when he was the spokeman for the campaign but I think the whole administration does better on the campaign trail than they do at the boring job of governing. He is not the joke that Hannity indicates but he does get boxed in from time to time and tends to get all screwed up in his telling of the tale.
I like that Obama told the Press Corp to take a whack at Gibbs. He may turn out to be a lousy President – the jury is still out – but he is a regular guy and we need more of that from big time politicians.

Posted by: Lone Star Rules | March 15, 2009, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm

Lone Star Rules
[He may turn out to be a lousy President - the jury is still out - but he is a regular guy and we need more of that from big time politicians].
No one took more pride in claiming to be an ordinary guy more than King George but calling him lousy is a compliment. He buried the economy.
President Obama, has always taken pleasure at being underestimated. He will yet again prove those wishing for his failure and downfall wrong. Go Obama!

Posted by: Mano-a-Mano | March 16, 2009, 10:54 am 10:54 am

In the tank…you’re right – Bush did accomplish more in his first 53 days in office than Obama has: he played 22 rounds of golf, had 18 bbq’s and drank 2 dozen cases of beer.

Posted by: owendog | March 16, 2009, 4:00 pm 4:00 pm

Can VP Cheney run for president in 2012. I belive he is a strong guy and would be nice opoosoite of this funnyman obama.

Posted by: john | March 16, 2009, 9:06 pm 9:06 pm

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