Gibbs’ Flippant Attitude On Display
Tuesday afternoon, Robert Gibbs, the Obama administration’s version of Baghdad Bob, displayed a flippant attitude about a serious hearing on whether the Obama administration’s czars violate constitutional principles. This article highlights Gibbs’s flippant attitude perfectly:
The White House was not impressed by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on czars today, if press secretary Robert Gibbs’s comments were any indication. The hearing, entitled “Examining the History and Legality of Executive Branch Czars,” was chaired by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), one of the few Democratic critics of Obama’s “czars.”
“I don’t know if Senator Feingold is calling Franklin Roosevelt to be a witness,” Gibbs quipped. “I forget the…said lofty scholarly title of said hearing.”
Republicans have criticized the White House for appointing too many czars that don’t require Senate confirmation. Democrats respond that previous presidents, including Republicans, have made use of so-called “czars.”
“I would assume that Congress and Senator Feingold have more weighty topics to grapple with than something like this,” Gibbs added.
Gibbs’ flippant attitude notwithstanding, this is a source of much consternation to people who care about the Constitution. Robert Byrd wrote a letter to President Obama this winter expressing proper concern that Congress couldn’t conduct proper oversight into the activities of the czars.
Here’s the best explanation why this hearing was important:
Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., said Congress needs to know whether some of the czars make policy but have no obligation to submit to congressional questioning.
The question that Congress needs answer to is whether Congress can hold these special advisers accountable. At this point, the best I can confirm is that I don’t know. With a system of government predicated on checks and balances to prevent corruption, oversight capability is a must. I won’t trust any administration if that trust is predicated on willingly bypassing the opportunity to question officials’ decisionmaking.
Constitutional accountability won’t attract the splashy headlines like healt care reform. That doesn’t mean it isn’t important to the health of our nation.
Technorati Tags: Czars, Accountability, Oversight, Russ Feingold, Robert Byrd, Constitution, Robert Gibbs, Arrogance, Checks And Balances, Czars, Accountability, Oversight, Russ Feingold, Robert Byrd, Constitution, Robert Gibbs, Arrogance, Checks And Balances, Transparency
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
October 7th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Every president has a right to choose advisers insulated from deep public scrutiny. What they don’t have a right to is to appoint anyone responsible only to the President and who has policy-making powers and the ability to spend taxpayers’ money without confirmation and oversight from Congress, as specified in the Constitution.
Oh, my bad. I forgot. The Constitution is meaningless to this administration.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Would someone explain to me why I have this overwhelming desire to beat that maggot gibbs to a pulp?
October 7th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Can’t understand that, Glenn. He, like Perini and all the others before him, is simply a face the president puts up for show, has to have only minimal mental skills, but does have to be willing to behave like the south end of a jackass headed north.
Gibbs qualifies on all counts.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Gibbs has to be an asshole. Looks who he’s surrounded with.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Nah, he’s just the hemorrhoid leaking out of it. And about as useful, too.