Robert Gibbs irks the Left:

In an interview with The Hill newspaper, published Tuesday, Mr. Gibbs unloaded his frustration with liberals who are themselves frustrated with the president.

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested – I mean, it’s crazy,’’ Mr. Gibbs was quoted in the newspaper as saying.

He went on to condemn the “professional left,’’ saying: “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.’’

Mr. Gibbs’ remarks raced around the blogosphere and dominated much of the daily White House briefing, which was conducted Tuesday by his deputy, Bill Burton, who explained that the press secretary had a sore throat.

The “professional” Left? I thought JournoList was finished:

[White House spokesman Bill] Burton told reporters that in referring to the “professional left,” Gibbs was thinking of people who chatter on cable TV news. And in a statement issued after the story was published, Gibbs said, “I watch too much cable, I admit. Day after day it gets frustrating. Yesterday I watched as someone called legislation to prevent teacher layoffs a bailout – but I know that’s not a view held by many, nor were the views I was frustrated about.”

Meanwhile, of course, Newsweek mourns: “It’s highly uncharacteristic for Robert Gibbs to be off his game,” they sigh. “The White House spokesman is incredibly talented at, as they say in Washington, the art of the spin.”