Today’s Qs for O’s WH — 4/27/2009
EmailTAPPER: I know that Kathleen — Governor Sebelius’s nomination is probably going to be voted on tomorrow in the Senate, but do you guys have the litany of other assistant and deputy secretaries at HHS, as well as the surgeon general, ready to go, to hit the ground running after she is confirmed, assuming she is?
GIBBS: Absolutely. And let me — you know, as I mentioned earlier, the primary presidential directive for homeland security denotes — I know there’s been some discussion about why Napolitano’s role in this. That’s why I mentioned the presidential directive that denotes interagency coordination goes to the Department of Homeland Security. And I mentioned this yesterday. There’s — our response is in no way hindered or hampered by not having a permanent secretary at HHS right now. Dr. Besser and thousands of people both at CDC and throughout HHS are responding to this. There are professional staff over there as we speak, helping to coordinate this. I’m sure many of you all have called public affairs over there, and gotten your questions answered. So we feel confident with the team that is there now. Having said that, we’re certainly hopeful that secretary — soon- to-be-Secretary Sebelius will join them without delay tomorrow.
TAPPER: But presumably, you would rather have a permanent group there.
GIBBS: Well, we’d rather not have a swine flu. (Calling on someone else:) Yes, sir.
TAPPER: Wait — look, I’m sorry, could you just — do you have them ready to go? I mean, the surgeon general, the assistant secretary –
GIBBS: There are — there are — there’s a whole group of people there, and there will be more to follow. Some will and some won’t need Senate confirmation. Yes, sir?
- jpt
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
What would Biden tell The Brother Gibbs?
..look behind you Mr. Spokesman.. is anyone following the Gilligan’s Island daughter??
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | April 27, 2009, 3:57 pm 3:57 pm
Who’s head rolled today for the teleprompter disaster? The President almost had to speak on his own!!! Shudder at the thought!
Why is he out playing golf during this state of emergency???
Posted by: chris | April 27, 2009, 4:05 pm 4:05 pm
This line of questioning made since at Treasury, where a large body of major changes in policy are being developed by unconfirmed ‘temporary’ staff until confirmations are in place. But dealing with this flu hardly requires any major policy changes, just proper implementation of those already in place. I’m comfortable leaving it to the career professionals at Health and find Homeland Security’s role reasonable (although I’d be much happier if that Orwellian named branch had never existed).
Posted by: jhw539 | April 27, 2009, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
chris:”Why is he out playing golf during this state of emergency???”
Why aren’t you? What part of don’t panic, no one has died in the US, do you not grasp? Obama has made the calls and left the details in the hands of professionals. This is how a good administration, from Reagan to Obama, works.
Posted by: jhw539 | April 27, 2009, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm
“Why is he out playing golf during this state of emergency???”
Lol. I really hope you’re kidding.
Posted by: Silky | April 27, 2009, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
The President almost had to speak on his own…
Like during the debates. And all those joint press conferences in Europe and here.
Maybe we just scrap innovation and have him bring paper notes everytime. And what’s with blackberries when we can continue with rotary phones?
Posted by: J. Richter | April 27, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu by one level to phase 4, two steps short of declaring a full-blown pandemic.
WHO says the phase 4 alert means sustained human-to-human transmission is causing outbreaks in at least one country. It signals a significant increase in the risk of a global epidemic, but doesn’t mean a pandemic is inevitable.
LET’S NOT CLOSE THOSE BORDERS TELL HALF THE US IS DEAD OR DYING.
Posted by: insight | April 27, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
jake,
i’m really impressed with how you have made concentrated efforts to be objective as a journalist. i love these q’s for o’s. keep it up. you’ve won a reader of abcnews.com out of me.
-a conservative who voted for obama
Posted by: peter | April 27, 2009, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
Somebody might want to tell the moronic, sensationalistic editor who allowed the banner on the front page that he shouldn’t lie just to lather people up. That plane was not Air Force One and he/she knows it. Weak sauce.
Posted by: Silky | April 27, 2009, 5:07 pm 5:07 pm
An administration out of control.
The White House sends a low flying AF1 to NYC for a photo-op.
What an insensitive and idiotic thing to do.
I don’t care if BO knew or not, it is his plane and the order came from the WH. He should have known–the buck stops with him as he often says.
There is no leadership in the WH.
Posted by: nick | April 27, 2009, 5:17 pm 5:17 pm
I love the teleprompter in chief. The poor teleprompter got ahead of him and he couldn’t even speak – didn’t have a clue what to say. Hilarious!
Posted by: Ben | April 27, 2009, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
Jake
Tomorrow remind Gibbs that the jet carrying the president is only given the call sign Air Force One when the president is on board.
Ask him why today’s jet had the sign Air Force One, yet the whitehouse claimed he wasn’t on board.
Posted by: Dave | April 27, 2009, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
jhw539….Why aren’t you?” Perhaps because he/she, Chris, is not the President of the United States…”This is how a good administration acts…” During a medical alert that could affect the entire United States WORKFORCE during a economic downturn, DELEGATE??? GREAT!!
Posted by: Parallax View | April 27, 2009, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
“An administration out of control.
The White House sends a low flying AF1 to NYC for a photo-op.
What an insensitive and idiotic thing to do.”
NYC?
You mean the city crazy right wingers were hoping gets attacked again because Obama decided we won’t torture anymore?
Posted by: Ryan C | April 27, 2009, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Who does Gibbs think he is kidding?
Posted by: Plumber | April 27, 2009, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
People are sick and dying in the world and you Repubs are hung up on the “telepromter” talkin-point. You ridiculed spending for volcano monitoring and Mt. Redoubt erupted. You killed extra money in the stimulus package to cover a flu pandemic and..well we know the rest.
Maybe that’s why only 21% of Americans identify themselves as Repubs.
Posted by: B. Bear | April 27, 2009, 5:41 pm 5:41 pm
At 4:39 p.m. Monday, the White House issued an apology for the flyover. Louis E. Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, who served in the Clinton administration as secretary of the Army, said in a statement:
Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it’s clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused.
The mission on Monday, officials said, was set up to create an iconic shot of Air Force One, similar to one that was taken in recent years over the Grand Canyon.
When President Obama learned of the episode on Monday afternoon, aides said, he, too, was furious. Senior administration officials conveyed the president’s anger in a meeting with Mr. Caldera on Monday afternoon.
Posted by: Ryan C | April 27, 2009, 5:43 pm 5:43 pm
Parallax View:”During a medical alert that could affect the entire United States WORKFORCE during a economic downturn, DELEGATE??? GREAT!!”
What, specifically, would you prefer? Him telling everyone to huddle in their homes and allow the economy to collapse over THE FLU? Do you think the response to a medical emergency requires split second micromanaging by a guy trained in Constitutional law and a politician by trade? We get that you hate Obama and blame him for everything – do you have anything more specific to offer?
Posted by: jhw539 | April 27, 2009, 5:44 pm 5:44 pm
I felt sorry for the people in NYC that were running for their lives this morning–thinking they were being attacked again.
Then Gibbs pours salt in the wounds with his smart aleck attitude–blowing it off like it was nothing.
I believe Obama is sincerely mad about this incident–it makes him look bad.
But Gibbs attitude also makes the administration look bad.
And all for a stupid photo-op.
It’s all about Obama’s image isn’t it?
That’s how he got elected.
Posted by: millie | April 27, 2009, 5:56 pm 5:56 pm
millie:”And all for a stupid photo-op.
It’s all about Obama’s image isn’t it?
That’s how he got elected.”
Note that the exact same type of photo op mission was done under the Bush Administration too. The Air Force’s desire for good PR pictures isn’t really impacted by the party of the administration. Very bad decision by an underling somewhere that Obama would never had approved if he had been on top of these sorts of low-level details.
Posted by: jhw539 | April 27, 2009, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
Gibbs is a punk.
Keep after him, Jake.
Posted by: tjp612 | April 27, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
jhw539…Let me guess, your the same type of person who was always on Bush’s case for “delegating” during his Administration as well…Now the tables are turned…So how do you like it???? And no, I do not hate Obama, I do not know Obama… However, I do not like how Obama is leading the Country…Specifics all right…I believe “passive monitoring of our borders” is not enough…calling on people to use “personal responsibility” is not enough..Actively monitor all transportation avenues, temporarily restrict flights coming in from Mexico, greatly increase border patrol presence along the Southwestern States..restrict outgoing travel to Mexico, require ALL free clinics to report ANY flu like symptoms to the CDC, increase the supply of Tamiflu to States, ask Governors to put on hold any state sponsored public functions as well as appeal to the private public sector….In other words, Don’t restrict the public…restrict the opportunities to spread this virus….NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Posted by: Parallax View | April 27, 2009, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
That Sibelius is sure qualified on Swine Flu because she was….was…was…
what exactly was she that makes her such an authority on epidiemiology?
Posted by: drjohn | April 27, 2009, 8:02 pm 8:02 pm
Posted by: jhw539 | Apr 27, 2009 6:03:39 PM
Nothing is Obama’s fault, right? For some, nothing will ever be Obama’s fault.
Posted by: drjohn | April 27, 2009, 8:03 pm 8:03 pm
“For some, nothing will ever be Obama’s fault.”
And for others much the opposite is true.
Just the other day drjohn blamed his wife leaving him on Obama.
Posted by: Ryan C | April 27, 2009, 9:08 pm 9:08 pm
Ryan C writes:
For some, nothing will ever be Obama’s fault.”
And for others much the opposite is true.
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Somebody has got to take responsibility for hurricane Katrina……I mean where was O when the waters were rising????
Posted by: socialism101 | April 27, 2009, 11:57 pm 11:57 pm
It is comical reading the comments, how many of them have nothing to do with the article posted.
Jake’s question was: did the White House have a team of people ready to step into important positions if Sebelius gets the post at HHS. Due to the swine flu panic this seemed an important question. Evidently not to some rather silly commenters.
Posted by: Lydia | April 28, 2009, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
does any body know what base pairs were mutated in the influenza virus that created the H1N1 virus
Posted by: 10th grade student | April 30, 2009, 9:36 am 9:36 am