President Barack Obama walks into the Oval Office with Phil Schiliro, assistant to the president for legislative affairs. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, asked if it's time for a new legislative team, balks at "changing pitchers in the fifth inning.'' (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-pool / Getty Images)
by Mark Silva
The president's got game.
And, as the clock runs on the fate of the economic stimulus bill on Capitol Hill, the sports analogies rolling out of the Obama White House threaten to run into overtime.
"The clock's not at zero, guys,'' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said a week ago, warning against any premature judgments about the president's stimulus bill.
So where is the ballgame today, as Senate Republicans warn that the Democrats will have to temper the spending in the bill and offer more tax relief?
"I want to say, bottom of the fifth,'' said Gibbs, laughing about being "set up'' with an "extra-innings'' question. "The sausage race is the beginning of the next inning... The starting pitch is in there, and still throwing nice curveballs - and still got a lot of heat on the fast ball.''
When we asked if events this week suggest that it may be time to reorganize the White House's legislative team, Gibbs said with a laugh: "It's the fifth inning, and you guys want to change pitchers.''
Gibbs also was asked what the president was doing, and what he meant, in conceding in those TV interviews last night about Tom Daschle's botched Cabinet appointment, that he had "screwed up.''
"I think the president did what a lot of people in this town don't hear a lot -- take responsibility.''
The president's got time.
Comments
Prez Obama needs to dump the bi-partisan stuff. He reached out to the Rethugs and (predictably) they bit off his hand.
Obama needs to start saying things like "I'm willing to work with them IF they're willing to work with me". And he needs to say this every single time that they obstruct from now on and then he should proceed to shove his policy down the Rethugs "Rethuglican party first, country last" throats
Posted by: Flubba Porter | February 4, 2009 4:07 PM
Republicans: "Don't do what's proven to work, do what's proven to not work. More tax cuts!"
Democrats: "Yes, masters."
Pathetic.
Posted by: Paul | February 4, 2009 5:46 PM
CALL YOUR CONGRESS PERSONS! THIS BILL MUST PASS! CORPORATE PIGGIES MUST BE LIMITED IN THEIR COMPENSATION. MAKE THEM FLY COACH. A SEAT BY THE BATHROOM WOULD DO THEM A WORLD OF GOOD.
Posted by: Although that would be redundant | February 4, 2009 7:15 PM
We should not take seriously anything Obama says on "responsibility" until he fires his tax cheat Treasury Secretary.
Posted by: "Dissent is Patriotic" | February 4, 2009 7:41 PM