State Dept Spokeswoman Says Obama “Doesn't Give Himself Enough Credit” On Foreign Policy. Press laughs...

Most transparent administration evah bars press on Michelle Obama China trip...

The  First Lady's office never would say why the press was barred from the China trip...

On Tuesday night, The New York Times reported that no reporters would be traveling with First Lady Michelle Obama to China, and that she would be giving no interviews while there. Nicholas Kristof, the Times columnist, called the First Lady's decision "a mistake," and said it "signals weakness or fear of coverage." Several conservative outlets picked up the Times report, including the influential Drudge Report, which linked to a Weekly Standard article about it.
Shortly after noon on Wednesday, I reached out to the First Lady's office to inquire about the decision. A spokesperson for the First Lady responded to my inquiry but declared the response "off the record," meaning I wasn't allowed to use the information therein. When I told the spokesperson that I needed a response I could use, the spokesperson replied with another off-the-record statement regarding the First Lady's trip.

Don't worry. The mainstream media will jump in Michelle's lap when she returns. 

Obama finally talks to WH Press. Wants the NFL refs back...

Finally, a topic Obama thinks is important...

Via Washington Examiner:

President Obama is very accessible to the White House press corps, if the topic is sufficiently unimportant.

Obama has been criticized at times for avoiding the White House press while trolling entertainment media for positive coverage, but he took a moment to comment again on the National Football League referee fiasco upon his return to the White House today.
“Terrible,” Obama said of last night’s Packers-Seahawks game as he exited his helicopter.  “I’ve been saying for months, we’ve gotta get our refs back.” The NFL is using replacement referees while trying to negotiate a new contract with the referee union.

The press pool noted that Obama stopped to take the question after ABC’s Devin Dwyer shouted “Packers” at him over the sound of the helicopter “and that word alone was enough to make Obama stop to talk to press for a few seconds.”

Keep on reading…

Robert Gibbs gets laughed at for saying Congress will read 1924-page Omnibus Bill (video)

Gibbs has no credibility. He is a buffoon.

Via Freedom's lighthouse:

Demo Rep. Maxine Waters is concerned the country is being run by the "Enemy Right-Wing Press" or something

The country is being run by the right-wing press? Aside from talk radio and a few blogs, the only media in the county that will report the conservative side of the news is FOX News and a few newspapers. Most journalists are liberal Democrats who voted heavily for Obama. The nonpartisan Center for Media Studies found FOX News to be the most fair and balanced in a 2007 study (small pdf). A PPP Poll released this year found FOX News the most trusted name in news among the major networks and for good reason. Of course, Maxine Waters doesn't know this information because the liberal media she is addicted to won't report the facts. Consequently, she has developed a distorted and almost deranged world view. Here is what she said today at the Urban League’s Centennial Celebration in Washington.

From ABC News:

“The enemy,” according to Waters, is the conservative media. “The same people enemy that just killed off ACORN and other things,” she said.

“The right-wing press is using that platform to literally do their organizing, to intimidate you and basically run this country.”

House Democrats Block Amendment to Open Up Gulf Oil Cleanup to Press

When it come to protecting President Obama from negative publicity surrounding the gulf oil spill and clean up, Democrats are ready to throw freedom of the press under the bus.

NewsBusters reported:

It has become clear that the Democratic establishment does not have as much of an interest in press freedom as they would have the public believe. But what is even more telling is the media's spotty response to censorship efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Wednesday, House Natural Resouces Democrats rejected an amendment that would ensure press transparency in the Gulf. The amendment came mere days after the Coast Guard rescinded a policy keeping journalists at least 65 feet from "essential recovery efforts."

Offered by Rep. Paul Broun, pictured right, the amendment stated: "Except in cases of imminent harm to human life, federal officials shall allow free and open access to the media of oil spill clean up activity occurring on public lands or public shorelines, including the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.”

WH Spokesman Insults British Press (video)

First, President Obama insulted British PM Gordon Brown during his March visit by denying him a full press conference and giving him cheap DVD's for a gift. Now, his Press Spokesman Robert Gibbs is insulting the British press by calling them untruthful. From Politico:

Robert Gibbs swatted down reports in British newspapers that suppressed photos of prisoner abuse included graphic ... images of torture and rape — and took a hard shot at the overseas media.

“I want to speak generally about some reports I’ve witnessed over the past few years in the British media. And in some ways, I’m surprised it filtered down,” Gibbs began. “Let’s just say if I wanted to look up — if I wanted to read a writeup today of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champion’s League cup, I might open up a British newspaper. If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I’m not entirely sure it’d be in the first pack of clips I’d pick up.”

“You're not going to find very many of these newspapers and truth within 25 words of each other,” Gibbs continued.

Obama tells White House Correspondents, "Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me."

President Obama attended the White House correspondents dinner and proved he has no comedic talent. He did get a huge round of applause for this line, "Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me."

Here is the video if you can stand it.

White House reporters stand for Obama, but they sat for Bush(video)

White House reporters stand when Obama enters. However, they kept their butts in their seats when President Bush entered. So much for hoping for any kind of fairness or balance from the Main Stream Media.

WH Reporters Stand For Obama, But Not For Bush?(video via YouTube)