Could Robert Gibbs be less of a snarky jerk?

Prior to the election, Robert Gibbs was a stellar surrogate for Barack Obama, easily swatting away conservative nonsense and staying on message. As the White House Press Secretary, however, Gibbs is quite of fond of acting like a pompous jerk with reporters.

From Mother Jones:

I posed a follow-up: Have you spoken to the Spanish government about this case? He seized on my use of the word “you” and, with a broad smile, said, “I have not spoken with the Spanish.” Reporters in the room laughed. I obviously did not mean him personally; the “you” had referred to the Obama administration. Nor did I mean, I added, Bill Burton, the deputy press secretary, or any of the other press aides in the room. The point was whether the administration had been in contact with the Spanish government about the Bush Six investigation. “The Justice Department?” I asked. Gibbs, though, essentially brushed off the question: “I would send you to Justice. Like I said, I’ve not spoken” to the Spanish government.

That, too, was to be expected. Often White House press secretaries say, take your query elsewhere. Yet moments later, when a reporter asked Gibbs if Obama had any reaction to the conservative groups organizing “tea parties” of protest on tax day, he replied, “I’ve never monitored them nor spoken with the Spanish about them.” People in the room laughed. And when the questioning in the room turned to the all-important subject of the Obama’s new Portuguese water dog, Gibbs continued the joke. Noting that the dog might be spotted on the White House lawn later in the day or that it might not, he added that “the dog has also not talked to the Spanish about impending torture cases.” More laughter. But I wondered, had the press secretary just made a joke about a torture investigation? Gibbs, like other press secretaries, uses humor to disarm, deflect, or dodge. But was this untoward?

Apparently, change in Washington won’t be including the press secretary, who has assumed the typical press secretary attitude by offering vague answers and treating the press like they should just be happy they are there. Less than three months into his job, Gibbs is far too often a snarky jerk who shows a complete disrespect for reporters, if not outright disdain. The Obama Administration would do well to encourage Gibbs to show some professionalism. If he can’t, the job’s not for him.

–WKW

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