Gibbs On Cheney: "I Guess Rush Limbaugh Was Busy"
During this afternoon's White House press conference, Robert Gibbs positively lambasted Dick Cheney -- both for the attacks that Cheney lodged against PResident Obama in yesterday's CNN interview, and for Cheney's own record in office:
Gibbs was asked about Cheney's line that the Obama Administration is making the country less safe. "Well, I guess Rush Limbaugh was busy," Gibbs said, prompting of the reporters to laugh out loud. "So they trotted out their next-most popular member of the Republican cabal."
Gibbs then elaborated on Obama's responsibilities as president to fight terrorist -- and the failures that came before him:
"I think the President saw over the seven-plus years the delay in bringing the very people to justice that committed terrorist acts on this soil and on foreign soil. That delay in seeking swift and certain justice was what he decided to change through his executive order. In changing the legal architecture by which these terrorists would finally be brought to justice. I think the American people will in this administration see those actors brought to the swift and certain justice that was not brought to them in the previous administration."
As for Cheney's criticism of Obama on the economy: "I think not taking economic advice from Dick Cheney would be maybe the best possible outcome of yesterday's interview."
And later on, Gibbs stated again his response to Cheney's national-security criticism: "For seven-plus years, the very perpetrators that the Vice President said he's concerned about weren't brought to justice."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Chip Reid said Gibbs was being disrespectful to the former VP. Never mind that the former VP has been cheerleading for an attack on the country since Obama took office.
March 16, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
scratch my questions below...
March 16, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, you mean the draft-dodging, never-legitimately-elected VP who treasonously lied us into a false war, enjoys sadism as much as his dimwitted psychopath sidekick and told Patrick Leahy to go fuck himself on the floor of the Senate? Yeah, he's owed a lot of respect.
March 16, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, who was journalist with the faux outrage at Gibbs not taking the question regarding our safety seriously?
March 16, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't Reid the guy who made the "Ugly head" comment regarding Dems recently?
March 16, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep.
March 16, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gibbs is such a great spokesperson. He is a straight shooter and no bull. I really like him. Much better than recent press secretaries. He is doing an awesome job.
His bit on the daily show was hilarious. The way he deadpanned oliver was very, very funny. Also, the press conference was funny as well.
March 16, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
His speech pattern reminds me too much of former Lions headcoach Rod Marinelli.
March 16, 2009 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have a feeling this Gibbs guy is going to work out all right.
March 16, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, same here. He has a similar quality as Obama, he's usually pretty soft spoken. Which makes his zingers sting all the more.
March 16, 2009 7:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
the Limbaugh comment was golden. he knows how to get the jab in with a smile.
March 16, 2009 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I especially liked how he paused at the beginning of the response. You could see him considering whether or not using the line about Rush was a good idea.
March 16, 2009 6:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pure gold!
March 16, 2009 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somebody needs to tell Cheney he is not the head of the republican Party, Rush Limbaugh is.
March 16, 2009 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Instant classic.
March 16, 2009 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
During the interview, Cheney was not asked about Seymour Hersh's remarks that, as vice president, he was in charge of the executive decisions to order assassinations? That omission shows what a free ride the shooter receives when he goes on the air with his comments about the Obama administration?
March 16, 2009 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Limbaugh comment, while funny, was a bit of a snivveling retort. This is what makes Gibbs a disaster as Press Secretary. He can't seem to comment on the content of a question. He has to make snide remarks to bobb-and-weave his way out of it. It's par for the course with this joker.
Don't get me wrong. I thought the comment was funny. But that type of comment is really something best left to the pundits on Hardball. A Press Secretary needs to convey the dignity of the President. When he makes these comments it's like President Obama is making them, and I don't like the sophomoric tone of it one bit.
March 16, 2009 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
pffft. You gotta be kidding. That was an epic smackdown becasue it's entirely true and justified. Let FOX run it, I hope they do.
Limbaugh is an embarassment to the GOP, a vulgar clown to most Americans including moderate Republicans, yet he's still one of the most powerful men in Republican leadership and has publicly dressed down the head of the RNC and others, forcing them to kow-tow before his flabby bulk.
Cheney's popularity is a smoldering crater. He's loathed by a super-majority of Americans and has been for years. Even Republicans dislike him for the most part.
Let's be clear, there's not a lot of daylight between the beliefs of Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh, not to mention their demeanor, appearance, and lifestyles. Both are greedy, self indulgent, misanthropic pigs.
It's really about time the leaders of the GOP were called out on their ideology and the garbage they've espoused for so long.
March 16, 2009 9:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Disagree, Robby. This Administration has shown it's capable of using humor, both directed at itself and at its political foes. The predecessor couldn't do that, nor his father; Reagan could, though. Obama does not want to present himself as some stiff, prudent snob; he wants to reach out to the people and show them he's real, and one of the ways you do that is to joke with them. If Obama's getting slammed by someone and Gibbs responds with a crisp, still lipped retort, they lose ground.
March 16, 2009 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. And again, Gibbs is so cool and restrained most of the time, as is Obama, which makes smackdowns like that all the more powerful.
Most people seeing that will be happy to see these a-holes like Cheney and Limbaugh finally called out in the public square. When they go unchallenged and seem to be "winning" by being the most obnoxious SOBs around, and getting away with it, it makes people cynical.
March 16, 2009 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait for it...
How long until Dick Cheney apologizes to Rush Limbaugh?
Maybe Rush and Dick oughtta go a-huntin!
March 16, 2009 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did you see that the swine noted with approval Limbaugh's stupefyingly arrogant "invitation" to the President to debate on his shit-for-brains, misanthropic broadcast?
Gingrich tried the same line on President Clinton years back, and the Oval Office staff couldn't believe the temerity/derangement. Nothing's changed.
March 17, 2009 6:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Fourth Estate is an insane asylum with way too many toys. You know, TV stations, printing presses, radio networks, the ubertoobs.
We gotta break up the moron-opolies. Let's pool our money, buy Purdue Farms, and release 250,000 live chickens at NBC headquarters. They'll think all the extra squawking is just the new interns. They'll drown in chickenshit before they figure out what happened.
Ya gotta beat crazy with more crazy.
March 17, 2009 10:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm all for this, MotoCrat! Ha-ha!
March 19, 2009 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go Gibbs.I could become a fan of this guy.
March 17, 2009 8:24 AM | Reply | Permalink