This scandal is immense, it's breathtaking, it's unheard of in the annals of WH pushback, and, wouldn't you know it, Breitbart.com is on it:
Lanny Davis, who served under President Bill Clinton as special counsel to the White House, told Washington, D.C.'s WMAL [and 'Breitbart News editor Larry O'Connor'] this morning that the Obama White House had threatened the Washington Times over his column, warning that the Times would suffer limited access to White House officials and might have its White House credentials revoked.
This tentacled scandal is of course kids' stuff. It's the press' right to be suspicious or obnoxious or even profoundly wrong and it's the WH press secretary's right to react like an emotionally hurt adolescent. Both of these occur with daily regularity, and their essence occurs far beyond the zeniths of power. For instance I once wrote a column in which I merely quoted a Politico piece unfavorable to GOPThink, and almost instantly I received an irate, retraction-demanding email from a Capitol Hill Republican staffer from which one would have assumed I had accused his boss of possessing the maloriented sexual ethics of a Catholic priest or some such godawful thing.
Kids' stuff, GOP-style. But everybody does it; everybody always has, and always will. Yet to Breitbart it's shocking news, which soon enough will go mainstream.
What the hell is going on? Rome is burning and the fiddlers are obsessed with their butthurt.
Posted by: pamelabrown53 | February 28, 2013 at 11:39 AM
What's the common thread here? Could it be that both Davis and Woodward are approaching (or have reached) "has-been" status, and are craving a little limelight?
Posted by: JTL | February 28, 2013 at 11:55 AM
In my experience, when one party is crying, "He's not fightin' fair!!!", that is usually an indication that said party is getting their ass kicked.
Yep, this one is going to be remembered in terms of blood and teeth left on the floor.
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | February 28, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Richard Pryor had a routine of playing a black minister. One of his lines was, "The Laaawwwd is a-comin'!!!! ... ... and he's pretty pissed off."
I've had that feeling about Obama since Romney's insufferable rudeness and condescending disrespect towards Obama during the first debate.
Obama is a-comin' ... ... and he's pretty pissed off.
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | February 28, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Robert re: "He's not fighting fair!!!". Within the span of a week+ I've read that Obama is ruthless, Obama is ruthlessly efficient to now Obama is Nixon. Sometimes, I just want to quit politics and opt for decoupage, needlework or British murder mysteries.
Posted by: pamelabrown53 | February 28, 2013 at 12:10 PM
I really want to bring back duelling.
Posted by: Robert Lipscomb | February 28, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Hah! The modern duel would be more like dueling banjos.
Posted by: pamelabrown53 | February 28, 2013 at 12:45 PM
I think there is a conscious effort to create a new narrative that President Obama and his team are ruthless and unfair. Whether some political opponents are foolishly trying to capitalize on the Woodward brouhaha or Woodward has been complicit and intentionally instigated this tactical move, I don't know.
What I know is that polls indicate that President Obama is better positioned politically than republicans in the sequester fight, and when the president has a political advantage, republicans usually try to open a new line of attack and they bring the media along.
Happened a few times in the last few years, didn't it ?? Watch what will be the topic of the Beltway conversation in the next few days. Sequester ? Not a chance.
Mark my words.
Posted by: Ladysuzy | February 28, 2013 at 05:57 PM