Suggesting he and the rest of his staff get drug tested. Good idea!

Give Gibbs Man with the Biggest Set in DC Award!

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs wondered aloud (and in print) whether members of the "professional left" -- critical of the Obama administration for not having done enough to advance their agenda -- might perhaps be dipping into a stash of ganja, or happy pills, or both.<< Right-on there Gibbs!!

"I mean, it's crazy," Gibbs said. "Those people ought to be drug tested." Those kooky outraged liberal naysayers, according to Gibbs, would only be satisfied with Dennis Kucinich installed as commander in chief and Canadian-style (shhh, that's code for "socialist") health care. Personal *relaxation* habits aside, after a week like this one, I'd pose the same question to the White House: Namely, what are y'all smoking? Whatever it is, it must be strong.

First things first: Gibbs' comments -- frustrated asides that made one heckuva juicy story for one sorta slow news week -- are no reason to call for the press secretary's resignation, as Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) did. But were they enough for onlookers to slap their foreheads in disbelief, the "D'oh!" heard round the (left-wing) world? Yes. The press secretary's belittling, foolish commentary comes right as the Democrats face a battle to close what pundits like to call the "enthusiasm gap" between liberal and conservative voters ahead of this year's midterm elections. It would have been demoralizing enough if Gibbs had just left Dems with his bons mots from an interview on "Meet the Press," where he proclaimed, "I think there's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control." But bashing Obama's base at a time when Democratic congressional candidates need all the support they can muster? Questionable strategy.

And that's not all. On Wednesday, the market hastened its retreat following not-so-great economic news out of Europe and downright worrying news out of China. On Thursday, The New York Times reported that homeowners have simply ceased to pay back billions in home loans, leaving lenders in a lurch. And in an op-ed on Tuesday, columnist Bob Herbert described the U.S. unemployment rate as "a horror show." "The nation is facing a full-blown employment crisis," he wrote. "And policy makers are not responding with anything like the sense of urgency that is needed." This, mind you, is the season the White House has dubbed "Recovery Summer."

If you're generous, you might excuse the administration for this wildly premature branding as simply overzealous optimism. But at a time when the country is quite literally adrift, one has to wonder what travel agent Barack and Michelle might have been consulting when they booked the lavish vacation to Marbella, Spain, for the first lady and her daughter, or their upcoming 10-day sojourn to Martha's Vineyard. My colleague Lynn Sweet got the scoop that part of the rationale for the Mrs. Obama's Spain trip was to be with a grieving friend, to which another one of my colleagues offered, "What happened to baking a pie?" Indeed. Perhaps the only baked goods coming out of the White House kitchen these days are space cakes.

The first family's Vineyard jaunt will come after a much touted "vacation" to the Gulf of Mexico this weekend that will last less than 36 hours. Presumably, the Obama clan will be downing gulf shrimp to prove that it's safe to eat (the president, for his part, must be really tired of shrimp at this point) and splash in the water to show that it is not, in fact, laden with oil. But will this really count, in the eyes of the American public, as a ringing endorsement for gulf tourism? The president is also scheduled to speak with local officials and get an update on the latest recovery efforts in the wake of the BP oil spill -- not exactly vacation fare, but more like a business trip with the kids. The transparency of this Florida photo-op is almost painful when you consider the media (and outrage) that is likely to be generated over the Obamas' coming long, luxurious and presumably golf-filled getaway to the tony Vineyard.

And finally: presidential hubris. The withdrawal of U.S. combat forces in Iraq at the end of this month, and Obama's recent virtual unfurling of a "Mission Accomplished" banner, comes as reports show an Iraqi government woefully unprepared to take over, a country lacking rudimentary infrastructure, a potential resurgence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and an Iraqi military chief who, on Thursday, suggested that U.S. forces might need to stay in the country for not another year (as is planned), but another decade. And, oh yes, the State Department is $400 million short on the money it needs to even make the draw-down possible. While we'll have a good year to wait and see what actually happens in Baghdad, the White House sure seems like it's setting itself up for a fall.<(Better phrase, "another FAIL!")

I'll let recreational stoners off the hook here and just put it out there: What's happening over at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.? For a team that was so incredibly skilled at managing the message and reading the pulse of the country throughout the long, hard campaign slog, it has been weirdly, tragically tone deaf these last few weeks.

For all the "Live in the past, it's Bush's fault" fan;

George W. Bush, not someone known for his nuanced approach to anything, managed to keep his head down during the dark days, clearing brush in Crawford, abstaining from the golf course, and waving goodbye to his wife as she took off on low-cost (and domestic!) camping trips.

For a country that's hurt, an economy that's limping, and a base that feels bruised, President Obama and his team would do well to descend from that high horse and put their feet back on the ground.

always tickles me how upset people get about THIS president being able to travel, or tying every priviledge THIS President has to some imagined high horse he must be on

HE and his wife and his family would be able to do these things WITHOUT his position, why should he have to act like he cant just because he is president,,,lolol


seriously folks need to stop hating,,,,tend to their finances best they can, and plan their own vacations,,,,,,instead of being angry that others have been able to do so,,,,

It's nice advise. You take it! Quit hatin' on people that tell the truth.

You can't dictate, yet, what others should do.

This news report is not my opinion. (I do agree with the man, Gibbs.)

It is from a man who has the inside to what happens in DC.

If folks choose to hate, that's their right. I hate all and the actions of; Pedophiles, women beaters, child beaters, animal abusers, etc.

I hate the actions of, the uppity jack-pulls who are supposed to be minding the store and Illegals, etc.

Big freakin' difference in hating the person and hating the action.

big difference between a statement of what people need to do and dictating what people HAVE to do as well


so let me rephrase,, people should stop HATING on MS Obama taking a vacation, she has worked to be in the position to do so and her husbands position has nothing to do with that,,,

When I see people in high positions who have as their clear and present agenda the DESTRUCTION of the country that MY forefathers fought to defend, protect, and improve in order that I might inherit and pass on to MY CHILDREN a BETTER country than the one they and I inherited, why, YES, I have a very visceral gut-level hatred of and for those people ... I could give a rat's asss about which 'party' they belong to. What I SEE is their destruction of MY country and OUR way of life. I will NOT sit silently by and passively accept their ruination of this nation. If you choose to support those people, well then, 'the rest of the story' is pretty easy to figure out ...

Then people should stop HATING on people who are rich, just because they are rich. They have worked hard to get rich, and they have the right to be rich!!

yep,,,same story , its always easy to predict

I could care less they are rich.

What I care about is, they use Tax-Payer funds to finance their fun, Hussein is ignoring National Security and using Tax-Payer money to campaign for his Buddies.

Like Gibbs suggested, They all need drug tested.

you guys misinterpreted what he meant by "recovery summer"... it really meant they he and the rest of his family needs to recuperate after frolicking in the sun all summer. that tires people out quick.

lol,, and even with his 'vacations'(weekends away), he is still probably working harder than a majority of those griping that he didnt sit at the white house during al his off hours or travel someplace they wanted him to travel,,,lol

Any links, proof, anything???

just as many as those showing his 'vacations' didnt involve working,,,

Yeah, he's working harder than others because he's working hard to take away their work and jobs!!
He's really progressing in this area!!

you left out bringing down America too... thats what he's working the hardest at.

I dont know how hard others work, I can read about all the things he has worked on since he began and I can read about the opposition he has had to contend with on some of those things,, I think the President works hard because I can look realistically at what the expectations of the job are and they are much more intense than what the average voter has to deal with or be responsible for in their life or their career

if I do the math

he came into office january of 09
that makes 19 months so far
take away the four weekends a month most people get off (8*19), thats 152 days

from (19*31)589

thats 437 days with which to get work done,,

go to a fact checker site like politifact,,they have five hundred issues that he was to address during his campaign , 363 of those are either in the works or completed,,,,

now considering the president doesnt work alone and requires the checks and balances of congress, resolving an issue rarely happens in one day (I have actually visited congress and seen how long these processes run) ,363 issues in 437 days , thats four issues every five days , thats a pretty excellent track record of 'working'



I realize everyone isnt anal about numbers and I am not either, and there are many other fact checking sites people could check to get a balanced view of what is actually being done in government,,,,but my point is that how HARD someone works is hard to gauge when you cant witness the work yourself and can only rely on what makes the media and the spin thrown on it before it gets there,,,

I think, by the numbers, that this president works very hard,,,I think he is doing a good job with what he has, he could do a little better but he could do ALOT worse

but thats just MY OPINION, as are most posts in this forum someones opinion,,,,,and we are all entitled to those

Trying to micro-analyze the numbers to defend him is not working!!....he's going to be a one term prez, no matter how hard you argue for his acceptance.

just supporting information for my opinion , numbers are hard to refute, although easily manipulated


he might be one term, he might not,,, I dont know of any better candidates being offered up at this time,,,,but time will tell

I do.

From Wiki


Read about Franklin Delano Roosevel, there are some extraordinary comparisons to be made between then and now – including some major “SOCIAL” reforms.

By the way, our republic, from its earliest days, has been committed to the ‘social welfare’ of all. This was not new in the 1930’s and it is not new today – and it has not led nor will it lead to socialism.

The rise out of that early 20th century depression, is considered to be the fastest rise of any depression ever, and it took several years amidst political turmoil in a bipartisan atmosphere to be accomplished. (sounds familiar)

The three areas, or aims, of FDR were ‘recovery’ (from depression), ‘relief’ (for the people), and ‘reform’ (economic system). (Obama must know his history)

Much of the legislation did not remain in tact, some was overruled by the Judiciary as unconstitutional (similar to the political battles being fought today).

Well, you can read about it yourself – but the point is, no matter who is the figure head, and who the legislators are, recovery, relief, and reform, not only create massive deficits to begin with, but the programs and laws governing them may not exist 10 years from now. (though health care reform, may end up being the equavelent to socical security - another age another spin on the 'social welfare' system.

And the same speculation that occurred with FDR:
may end up being the same in Obama’s case.

For those who don’t want to read anything too fancy, try Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal

interesting , and kewl plug for wiki too,,lol