Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on Robert Gibbs and President Obama

So, the White House Press Secretary said some things that really irritated the Democratic base the other day. I kind of ignored it because I've never been very big on any of the press secretaries, regardless of party. They're spin-meisters, and as we used to say about Tony Snow and Dana Perino, spokes-liars.  Robert Gibbs usually comes off better than they did--and he's a damned sight better than Scott McClellan--but I usually just don't care what he has to say.

Then again, Gibbs does speak for the President. Or is it for David Axelrod or for Rahm Emanuel?  Whatever. What he said indicates that within the administration, there is a disconnect as to what they think liberals think and want, and the reality.  Keith Olbermann thought enough of it to do a Special Comment on Tuesday's Countdown, so this is probably my final word on it. How could I top that?

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White House Press Secretary Calls Out Media on Sherrod Story

Image from CEOWorld.biz

The Obama Administration, the NAACP and the USDA have been harshly criticized over their initial treatment of Shirley Sherrod, and as well they should be.  There is a larger issue though, and that is the tactic of FOX "News", right-wing bloggers like Andrew Breitbart, and the way they successfully push bogus stories into the mainstream. 

For a blogger like me, who started this blog in the dog-days of the Bush Era, this all feels like deja-vu.  Back then, though the Karl Rove alternate reality machine was breaking down, the right-wing spin was still leading news cycles.  I sat here knowing that there stories were bogus, I could see what they were doing, but reality just refused to break through.  Now, here we sit, 18 months into the Obama Era.  And what has led the news cycles lately?  Big, blown-up faux outrage stories, sometimes only tangentially true, sometimes utterly false.  And the mainstream media and sometimes the Democratic elected politicians keep falling for it.

I'm glad that Robert Gibbs is calling on the mainstream press to do some soul searching on how they report on these things. I only hope that he and the rest of the Obama Administration are doing the same.

[Excerpt]

Gibbs calls on media to do soul searching about Sherrod mess

The Shirley Sherrod mess has ignited another national conversation about race, but if Robert Gibbs has his way, it will also spark some soul-searching by members of the media about their willingness to legitimize bogus stories, particularly ones pushed by the right. . .

Read more at:  The Plum Line

Robert Gibbs Mocks Sarah Palin

Image from source, CBS News

Mean? Maybe. Funny? Yep.

[Excerpt]

Robert Gibbs Scrawls Notes on Hand, Mocking Sarah Palin

. . .Gibbs quipped that he had made the notes in case he and his family are snowed in by the storm approaching Washington. He said the words written on his hands included "eggs" and "milk" and that he had written "bread" but crossed it out. . .

Read more at: CBS News

Sean Hannity Gets Taste of His Own Medicine

There is nothing I enjoy more than seeing a puffed-up, right-wing blowhole get smacked down. And no one--except perhaps Karl Rove--fits that bill better than FOX "News" host, Sean Hannity. Hannity is an inexplicably popular host of both TV and radio. He doesn't appear to be very smart, but is something of a Savant when it comes to remembering talking points.

One of his other talents, is the front-loaded "gotcha" question, where he sets you up, and then recites a litany of reasons why you're "wrong," usually accompanied by his ticking off the points on his chubby fingers. And unlike someone like Rush Limbaugh, who is smart, and is leading his followers around by the nose, I think Hannity actually believes his own convoluted "logic."

So, it's fantastic to see Hannity get his comeuppance (here by Barack Obama supporter, Robert Gibbs). It's even better to see Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow delight in his misfortune.