Dana Milbank of the Washington Post wasted no time in going after my former Time colleague Jay Carney, greeting him with this little stink bomb right after he took over the White House press secretary gig from Robert Gibbs.
Now Dana’s back, and he’s still got it in for Jay:
There have been worse times to start a new job in Washington. When Abraham Lincoln arrived in the capital 150 years ago this week, for example, the South had already seceded.
Jay Carney, the new White House press secretary, didn’t have anything quite so dire on his hands when he took over the briefing room podium last week. But President Obama has put his new spokesman in an unenviable position: He is the mouthpiece of an administration that has painfully little to say.
Ouch and double ouch. The real target of Milbank’s ire, though, is not Carney but the Obama administration, whose pathetic response (“a scheduling conflict”) to the fires sweeping Libya would be laughable it if weren’t so incompetent. As I said on the radio yesterday, Hillary Clinton looks like somebody just woke her up (at 3 a.m.), told her she was secretary of state, and to get out there and take one for the team.
Obama, of course, is even worse. Here’s Milbank again, whacking that piñata:
“If there is a clear set of principles, why has the president chosen to not enunciate them for several days now?” asked CNN’s Ed Henry.
“So it’s fair to say we are in the midst of, sort of, changing, reworking our Middle East policy?” asked NBC’s Chuck Todd.
Carney retreated to more talk about timeless principles. And that’s about the best he can do — until the president devises a policy for him to talk about.
I think we all know by now there isn’t going to be a policy, just a series of inept ad hoc responses to a signal upheaval in world history.
That’s not Jay’s fault. It’s Barry’s.
They are completely adrift in a sea of imcompetence, reinforced by an inexplicable belief in their own brilliance. I have been told for going on 20 years that Hillary is the smartest woman who ever lived. Where the hell is she. It's a national disgrace.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI saw Jim Geraghty on Howie's "Reliable Sources" sometime back and he made the observation that Carney's job might just have become easier after after having to deal with "gaffing boy" prior to. Looks like he might have jumped into the deep end (or is that shallow?) now with Obama's non responsive responses. I sure as heck wouldn't want that job.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe Carney could take a crack at explaining the Obama Doctrine...do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight..get down tonight.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe Milbank is just a perpetual malcontent? He didn't like Ari Fleischer either.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHmmmm.
So would this be described as "Hari-kari for Barry"? A la Billy and the Boingers?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe administation is just mailing it in at this point. My internal picture is of Prez-O folding paper airplanes and sailing them across the Oval Office while saying to himself "I can't believe they gave me this gig."
I don't think even he thinks he can handle it anymore. Narcissm succumbed to reality, finally.
...and the only reason he even bothers, is pressure from Michelle.
...most entertaining "best end of civilization" ever.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI loved that little blurb in the stinkbomb:
"President Obama chose Carney in part as a peace offering to an aggrieved White House press corps that has spent two poisonous years with Robert Gibbs, to Obama's detriment."
So it is all Gibbs' fault that Obama is perceived so abysmally. It's never the policy, it's always the presentation, isn't it?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLamancha... +1
OofyProsser... exactly right.
Hillary is a national embarrassment, and I'm sorry to say that the Department of State has outlived its usefulness. Clueless, incompetent, and arrogant is no way to go through life (unless you are the Obungler or one of his supporting cast)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHillary's high poll numbers coupled with McCain's "conservative" standing are proof positive that the public is either clueless in aggregate or not paying attention or both. If the latter then why should we be paying any attention to GOP presidential polling? If the former we are totally screwed. Maybe $5 gas will get their attention!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDid you all see Niall Ferguson on Morning Joe the other day? He was right. This administration lacks experience and that is dangerous. I think these guys are just too afraid of making the wrong decisions that they won't make any.
Stratagies are good. mmmkay
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't see this as a slam at Carney at all; I think he totally feels sorry for him. The slam is well placed and deserved: at the Obama Administration and The One Himself. As has been said elsewhere, it looks like that a re-run of the Carter Administration is the best that we can look forward to for total ineptness in time of crisis. The old team said never let a crisis go to waste; this team simple panics in a crisis, especially one on the international stage.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"So it is all Gibbs' fault that Obama is perceived so abysmally. It's never the policy, it's always the presentation, isn't it?"
The key is that it's ALWAYS somebody/something else's fault. Nothing that goes badly (which is almost everything) is ever Obama's fault.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe Obama Doctrine seems to be WUSSUP
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWithering
Under
Scenarios
So
Urgently
Procrastinate
You know, Michael Moore could make a documentary about this inept President, Celsius 2/11 perhaps? Oh, what the heck am I thinking!?! Moore is probably in Libya right now, working up a propaganda piece for his buddy Gaddafi. Probably touting how great Libya's triage units are.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusethe wh is paralyzed by fear.
the problem is their fear is not of the crisis, but fear of acting, and being wrong.
this is probably their biggest mistake. in order for them to help shape the larger outcome, they have to ennunciate one.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat did you expect? The man was elected because of his skin color, not his qualifications.
DHOTUS
Diversity Hire Of The United States
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hope there's enough design margin built in to our security apparatus for western civilization to survive until Jan of 2012. We're danged sure stress testing it to the max.
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