White House on defense after press secretary criticizes ‘professional left’
By Erica Werner, APTuesday, August 10, 2010
White House in dispute with ‘professional left’
WASHINGTON — The White House is defending Press Secretary Robert Gibbs over his criticism of the “professional left.” Gibbs said some liberals critical of the administration ought to be drug-tested and wouldn’t be satisfied until the Pentagon was eliminated.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton downplayed Gibbs’ comments Tuesday, saying the press secretary simply “answered honestly” in a conversation with a reporter. Gibbs’ comments were published in The Hill newspaper and drew angry retorts from some bloggers.
One Democratic congressman called for Gibbs to resign.
Gibbs lashed out at leftists who complain President Barack Obama hasn’t moved far enough on issues like health care. He said people who say Obama is like George W. Bush “ought to be drug tested.”
