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WH: "We answered that yesterday"
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs declined to answer questions about the president's campaign commitment to hold health-care negotiations on C-Span. Gibbs said he had not seen a letter from C-Span's Brian Lamb to congressional leaders requesting the coverage and thus could not comment on it.On Wednesday, Gibbs was asked again about the C-Span commitment. The story had gotten pretty big in the intervening time, and presumably Gibbs had had a chance to familiarize himself with it. So reporters tried for a second day to get him to comment on the president's commitment to holding televised health-care talks. Gibbs' answer? "We covered this yesterday." Here's part of the Wednesday silliness: QUESTION: During the campaign the President 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: Chip, we covered this yesterday and I would refer you to yesterday's transcript. QUESTION: But today is today and -- GIBBS: And the answer that I would give today is similar to the one -- QUESTION: But there was an intervening meeting in which it's been reported that 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. QUESTION: 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. QUESTION: But the President in this meeting yesterday -- GIBBS: And I addressed that -- QUESTION: -- pressed for something that's in direct violation of a promise he made during the campaign. GIBBS: And I addressed that yesterday. Got that, you plebes? "We answered that yesterday... and gave it a B+!" Posted by: Free Radical 2010-01-07 |
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