Pressed during today's briefing to White House reporters about
President Obama's campaign pledge to have health care discussions
broadcast on C-SPAN, spokesman Robert Gibbs first dodged the
question and then responded by saying, "The president wants to
get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible."
Gibbs also referred reporters to the
transcript of his remarks on the C-SPAN question yesterday,
but yesterday's briefing happened before a closed door meeting in
which Obama
urged Democrats to bypass a formal conference to merge the
House and Senate health care bills and negotiate behind closed
doors.And at that time, his response was that he hadn't read the
letter C-SPAN sent requesting that the meetings be broadcast.
Here's my transcription of Gibbs' exchange on the C-SPAN
question:
Q: During the campaign, President Obama on numerous occasions
said words to the effect of, quoting one, “all of this will be
done on C-SPAN in front of the public.” Do you agree that the
President is breaking an explicit campaign promise?
GIBBS: You know Chip, we covered this yesterday and I would
refer you to yesterday’s transcript.
Q: (Inaudible) today?
GIBBS: The answer I would give today is similar to the one…
Q: There was an intervening meeting in which it’s been reported
that the President, the President pressed the leaders in
Congress to take the fast track approach to skip the conference
committee. Did he do that?
GIBBS: The President wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly
as possible.
Q: In spite of the fact that he promised to do this on C-SPAN?
GIBBS: I would refer you to what we talked about in this room
yesterday.
Q: But the President, in this meeting yesterday, pressed for
something that’s in direct violation of a promise he made
during the campaign.
GIBBS: And I addressed that yesterday.
Q: Well does the President believe it would be more helpful if
this process were more transparent, that the American people
could see…
GIBBS: How many stories do you think NBC has done on this?
Q: Speaking for myself, hundreds…
GIBBS: Hundreds?
Q: That’s not the issue, the issue is whether he broke an
explicit campaign promise.
GIBBS: So the answer is hundreds. Is that correct?
Q: Well that has nothing to do with it. I deal with the
information, however much or little of it there is. I’m saying,
would people benefit from more information?
GIBBS: Have you lacked information in some of those
stories? Do you think you’ve reported stuff that was inaccurate
based on the lack of information?
Q: Democrats ran against the very sort of process that is being
employed in this health care debate.
GIBBS: We had this discussion yesterday. I answered this
yesterday. Is there anything else?
Advising you that I'm not going to answer is technically an
answer to the question. Then again, it depends upon your
definition of the word "is."
Stan Redmond| 1.6.10 @ 2:35PM
This is exactly like the Iranian President, Ahneedajihad's Q and
A session at Columbia university. Gibbs is way out of his league.
"I dodged the question yesterday so I won't answer it today. Next
question?"
Otter| 1.6.10 @ 3:33PM
How, Exactly, does a camera slow down the process?
JoJo Dog| 1.6.10 @ 3:39PM
I'd leave a comment now, but you should check with the comment I
made yesterday.
ncatty| 1.6.10 @ 3:51PM
And we taxpayers are paying this guy....
John Bibb| 1.6.10 @ 4:26PM
***
I loved it when Baghdad Bob told how Iraq was winning. And then
the jet engine whine, nearby blast, and plaster dust sifting down
on him as the chandeliers swung wildly above him.
***
Ditto for Beltway Bob Gibbs. Ignore the noise--TSUNAMI
coming!
***
Just blame the evil BOOOOOSH and CHENEY for any problems. Works
every time! Just ask Baghdad Bob how well it worked for
him.
***
Rocketman
***
Inge| 1.7.10 @ 6:39AM
This cat is delusional.
Becky| 1.7.10 @ 10:30AM
Does it seem like Mr. Gibbs has a lot of answers that are
basically "read between the lines" while holding up his three
middle fingers? It would be more honest. He just gave the press
the middle finger, just not as obvious as his boss does.
pricila| 4.24.10 @ 9:17AM
"Travelgate" only bring to mind the pathetic hopes of
conservative truthseekers of that sad era, and if you think the
Clintons were pretty good stonewallers, liars and media
manipulators, this new guy puts them to shame. ecommerce
tj| 1.6.10 @ 1:48PM
Gobbs is a toad.... liar, and an idiot...just like all the libs
Warrior| 1.6.10 @ 2:09PM
Advising you that I'm not going to answer is technically an answer to the question. Then again, it depends upon your definition of the word "is."
Stan Redmond| 1.6.10 @ 2:35PM
This is exactly like the Iranian President, Ahneedajihad's Q and A session at Columbia university. Gibbs is way out of his league.
"I dodged the question yesterday so I won't answer it today. Next question?"
Otter| 1.6.10 @ 3:33PM
How, Exactly, does a camera slow down the process?
JoJo Dog| 1.6.10 @ 3:39PM
I'd leave a comment now, but you should check with the comment I made yesterday.
ncatty| 1.6.10 @ 3:51PM
And we taxpayers are paying this guy....
John Bibb| 1.6.10 @ 4:26PM
***
I loved it when Baghdad Bob told how Iraq was winning. And then the jet engine whine, nearby blast, and plaster dust sifting down on him as the chandeliers swung wildly above him.
***
Ditto for Beltway Bob Gibbs. Ignore the noise--TSUNAMI coming!
***
Just blame the evil BOOOOOSH and CHENEY for any problems. Works every time! Just ask Baghdad Bob how well it worked for him.
***
Rocketman
***
Inge| 1.7.10 @ 6:39AM
This cat is delusional.
Becky| 1.7.10 @ 10:30AM
Does it seem like Mr. Gibbs has a lot of answers that are basically "read between the lines" while holding up his three middle fingers? It would be more honest. He just gave the press the middle finger, just not as obvious as his boss does.
pricila| 4.24.10 @ 9:17AM
"Travelgate" only bring to mind the pathetic hopes of conservative truthseekers of that sad era, and if you think the Clintons were pretty good stonewallers, liars and media manipulators, this new guy puts them to shame. ecommerce