Yesterday I was thinking that Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s press secretary, reminds me of another recent one: Scott McClellan. I was reassured, then, to read this comment by Victor Davis Hanson:

Gibbs as press secretary is a Scott McClellan nightmare that won’t go away, given his long McClellan-like relationship with Obama (McClellan should have been fired on day hour one on the job). Blaming Fox News for Obama’s calamities is McClellan to the core and doesn’t work. He already reminds me of Reverend Wright’s undoing at the National Press Club-and he will get worse.

It’s possible, of course, that Gibbs gets better as time goes on. But the early outings have been much more McClellan-esque than like, say, Tony Snow or Mike McCurry. Gibbs looks hesitant, defensive, unsure of himself, and incapable of doing anything beyond reciting talking points, and doing so in the most unpersuasive way imaginable. (He also seems to share his bosses’ obsession with Fox News.) Gibbs embodies–like, it is becoming increasingly clear, the Administration in which he serves–the tired, old ways of Washington. He not only spins; he looks like he’s spinning. It’s a deadly combination.

Robert Gibbs behind a microphone is a somewhat painful thing to watch. Whatever talents he may have, being a public spokesman doesn’t appear to be one of them. If Barack Obama is a compassionate man, he will sooner or later–hopefully sooner–reassign Robert Gibbs. It would be a favor to both men, to the media, and to the public.