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Helen Thomas: "Low-Key Voice At White House" [HORRIFIC IMAGES]
TheBostonChannel.com ^ | 15 Apr 09 | Helen "Who's Your Mama" Thomas

Posted on 04/17/2009 2:16:42 AM PDT by seanmerc

WASHINGTON -- White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and President Barack Obama share the same trait: They both are very cautious when speaking with reporters.

Gibbs measures his words hesitantly between some "ums" and "ahs," before voicing carefully selected words in response to a reporter’s question.

As White House press secretary he is in the bull’s eye every day at televised news briefings, which may explain why he appears most comfortable with the reporters for wire services and TV networks he schmoozed with on the campaign trail.

In a position where many predecessors have blown their tops out of frustration or melted down in irritation over repetitive questions, the soft-spoken Gibbs keeps his cool and loves it when his acerbic wisecracks get a laugh.

He is very formally addressed as "Robert," not "Bob" or "Bobby" as he was called as a kid.

Some reporters actually pay him homage by thanking him for giving them a chance to question him at White House briefings. Not me. That’s his job.

Gibbs is part of the White House inner circle that includes chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and senior advisor David Axelrod. He also has a close and loyal relationship with Obama, who told the Wall Street Journal last year: "He’s the guy I want in a foxhole with me during incoming fire. If I’m wrong, he challenges me. He is not intimidated by me."

Gibbs sees himself as the "protector of the (Obama) image."

The 38-year-old Gibbs was born in Auburn, Ala., and still has a soft southern accent.

Politics apparently is the love of his life. Emily Sparrow -- his high school history teacher -- says he was a `political junkie at 17."

His work experience was mostly on Capitol Hill for different Democratic senators, and there he honed his skills in speaking for the "boss" and taking on the boss’s detractors.

For all his low-key demeanor and pastel neckties, he can be aggressive in defense of Obama and has been known as "the enforcer." Speaking of ties, Obama swiped Gibbs’ light blue tie for his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. That was the address that won Obama national attention and set him on the road to the presidency.

"It (the tie) was requisitioned for a higher purpose," said Gibbs. "I have never gotten that back and I never had the illusion that I would."

Sometimes Gibbs has to dance around a bit when a questioner asks about glaringly inconsistent administration positions, such as blocking habeas corpus (the right of appeal) for prisoners we hold at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan but allowing it for captives at Guantanamo.

It’s up to Gibbs to field the questions, running the gamut of trouble spots.

Obama has had two prime-time formal news conferences. In his second news conference, Obama went out of his way to call on representatives of bloggers and even government-supported news outlets, like Stars and Stripes, the military’s newspaper.

The Gibbs press operation has this annoying practice of alerting selected reporters that Obama plans to call on them during a presidential news conference. It all smacks heavily of managed news.

I fear the next step will be that the White House staff will ask the selected reporters what they intend to ask the president if they are called on.

In an interview Gibbs told broadcaster Peter Maier that he would never lie as a White House spokesman. Where have I heard that before?

We’ll see.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barackobama; bho2009; bho44; democrats; dims; dumbocrats; enemedia; gibbs; helenthomas; liberalmedia; liberlmeathead; medabias; mediaelite; msm; newsbabe; obama; obamarama; rats; robertgibbs; senileoldbat; whitehouse
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To: seanmerc

An example I transcribed, Ødumba says ‘ahhhhh’ so many times in what should be normal speaking, it’s hard to follow, and just as hard to read or get any understanding.
From;

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21382&Itemid=163

Ødumba “The key purpose is to ahhhhh, ahhhhh, make sure we had a chance to talk to ahhhhh, some of the commanding officers as well as the Troops here ahhhhhh, to get a sense from them about ahhhhh, how we are approaching a consolidating some of the reduction in violence to ahhhhh, this here. ahhhhh, comparing note about what that means in Iraq and what that means in Afghanistan.”


21 posted on 04/17/2009 3:06:51 AM PDT by Son House (Make A Bad Situation Worse, Raise Taxes, Increase Government Spending, Thanks Mr. Øbama)
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To: seanmerc

Ødumba knows the right way to be fiscally responsible, yet makes all the wrong choices, and him and Gibbs are just covering the campaign...

Obama vows to cut federal spending on contractors

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0908/555604.html

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama moved to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility in a roiling economy, vowing on Monday to slash federal spending on contractors by 10 percent and saving $40 billion.

Urging members of his own party to be just as fiscally tough as the most conservative Republicans, Obama said the $700 billion economic bailout plan proposed by the Bush administration and congressional leaders is forcing a renewed look at federal spending.

As president, Obama said he would create a White House team headed by a chief performance officer to monitor the efficiency of government spending.


22 posted on 04/17/2009 3:09:34 AM PDT by Son House (Make A Bad Situation Worse, Raise Taxes, Increase Government Spending, Thanks Mr. Øbama)
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To: seanmerc
Speaking of such, a friend in DC told me a rumor from uniformed SS that Michelle is very, very flatulent. Al Gore was said to have this same problem, and the agents called him "Stinky" behind his back.

It is just a horrific visual I cannot get out of my head.

23 posted on 04/17/2009 3:10:16 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: LibertyRocks
[Article, quoting Gibbs] "It (the tie) was requisitioned for a higher purpose," said Gibbs. "I have never gotten that back and I never had the illusion that I would."

Enormously revealing quote. This guy isn't an American. He may not be a vertebrate.

Meanwhile, MSNBC is running a tingly-leg poll here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29493093/

(Link deliberately left not live)

FREEP THIS POLL

</OT>

24 posted on 04/17/2009 3:23:56 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus
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To: seanmerc

Oh, horrors! I’m going back to bed and pull the covers up tightly.


25 posted on 04/17/2009 3:31:51 AM PDT by MaggieCarta (We're all Detroiters now.)
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To: seanmerc
Why u got 2 put that big pic up? My cats are hiding now, no joke...
26 posted on 04/17/2009 3:39:10 AM PDT by allmost
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To: seanmerc
The Gibbs press operation has this annoying practice of alerting selected reporters that Obama plans to call on them during a presidential news conference. It all smacks heavily of managed news.

Interesting that the old girl actually pointed this out...And, equally interesting that the editor let it stay in.

Oh, alright, I'll go back to bed after reading a few more articles.

27 posted on 04/17/2009 3:40:39 AM PDT by MaggieCarta (We're all Detroiters now.)
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To: Technical Editor
To all of you who reveal your blackened souls here by your miserable comments about an old woman,

I sincerely hope you NEVER get old.

She started it with her own miserable comments. As for the getting old part, ha-ha! Too late, I'm already there!

28 posted on 04/17/2009 3:46:07 AM PDT by MaggieCarta (We're all Detroiters now.)
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To: Technical Editor

Beauty’s only skin deep, but ugly goes clear to the bone.


29 posted on 04/17/2009 3:48:30 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (Hey, Obama! Where's my check?)
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To: seanmerc
The ULTIMATE Helen Thomas pic!

Warning for dial-uppers: might take 30 or so secs to download:
http://www.sondrak.com/archive/skpics2/helen_thomas_mean.jpg

30 posted on 04/17/2009 3:49:38 AM PDT by ETL (ALL the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: Fresh Wind

Or, in the immortal words of Frank Zappa:

“What’s the ugliest part of your body?

Some say your nose, some say your toes,

But I think it’s your mind.”


31 posted on 04/17/2009 3:50:00 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (Hey, Obama! Where's my check?)
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To: seanmerc

I got a good laugh at the part where Obama said he is the guy I would want in my foxhole.

I cant imagine Obama in a foxhole.


32 posted on 04/17/2009 3:50:29 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: SkyPilot

“a friend in DC told me a rumor from uniformed SS that Michelle is very, very flatulent.”

Has to be from all that caviar and lobster tail.


33 posted on 04/17/2009 3:52:20 AM PDT by RU88 (The false messiah can not change water into wine any more than he can get unity from diversity.)
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To: Technical Editor

Lighten up Francis.


34 posted on 04/17/2009 3:58:14 AM PDT by Scarpetta (e pluribus victim)
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To: ChiMark

I think I went to high school with Duncan...


35 posted on 04/17/2009 4:04:17 AM PDT by metesky (My retirement fund is holding steady @ $.05 a can.)
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To: seanmerc
ANTIVENOM FOR THE THOMAS POISON! WASH AND REPEAT!

36 posted on 04/17/2009 4:04:35 AM PDT by TSgt (Extreme vitriol and rancorous replies served daily. - Mike W USAF)
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To: seanmerc
Pazuzu, the demon that never dies...
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
...A man from out of the tombs possessed by demons confronted Jesus, saying
"What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God, don’t torment me!"

Jesus said unto them "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit! What is your name?"
They answered "Our name is Legion, for we are many."
And the demons begged him, saying, "Send us into the pigs, that we may enter into them."

At once Jesus gave them permission.

The unclean spirits came out and entered into the pigs, but finding them too clean for their liking,
wandered aimlessly and without form until August 4, 1920 when the head demon Pazuzu said
"THERE! THERE! THERE is our new home!", and thus began the saga of Helen Thomas.

37 posted on 04/17/2009 4:17:11 AM PDT by mkjessup (You're either with our Constitution, or you are with TKU ("The Kenyan Usurper"). CHOOSE!!!)
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To: Technical Editor
To all of you who reveal your blackened souls here by your miserable comments about an old woman,
I sincerely hope you NEVER get old.


Old is just a condition of time.

UGLY goes all the way to the bone.

Now G.F.Y.
38 posted on 04/17/2009 4:21:02 AM PDT by mkjessup (You're either with our Constitution, or you are with TKU ("The Kenyan Usurper"). CHOOSE!!!)
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To: SkyPilot
Speaking of such, a friend in DC told me a rumor from uniformed SS that Michelle is very, very flatulent.

So was Hitler. Historical fact.
39 posted on 04/17/2009 4:25:57 AM PDT by mkjessup (You're either with our Constitution, or you are with TKU ("The Kenyan Usurper"). CHOOSE!!!)
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To: ETL
"The ULTIMATE Helen Thomas pic!"

Ahhhhhh -- Ahhhhhhhhhhh -- Ahhhhhhhhh...stop! -- stop!

40 posted on 04/17/2009 5:30:30 AM PDT by Landru (Arghh, they're trapped in my colon like spackle or paste.)
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