Dark Skinny

I really hate and detest spin-doctors. That’s what we call government press advisers in UK who try to control the image of their government masters. Their job is to verbally buff and polish their master’s image to the press and public, to distract and demolish or belittle all opposition and dissent, to bend the truth and almost lie and to convince the national press media to tow the government line by whatever means possible. Usually, these misbegotten hustlers are among the finest and hardest-working control-freaks on the planet.  But in UK the spin-doctor is now virtually a thing of the past, having been rousted, thoroughly beaten down and successfully exposed by the UK mainstream press. They are extinct dinosaurs — who only work quietly and meekly behind the scenes now.

But I see that this is certainly not the case in America. Here, you refer to  spin-doctors as White House Press Secretaries. And it seems that America’s arch-doyen of upfront spin, Robert Gibbs, has voiced his angry opinions a little too far afield, resulting in the UK press now baying for his blood. And I admit,  I find this situation quite funny. Although perhaps Mr Gibbs has successfully whipped up and brought onside all the usual US mainstream media who now faithfully tow and service the Obama Line so carefully, apparently the UK press just refuses to come to heel.

Anyway, here are two stories which will indicate how the UK press exercises its own particular brand of press freedoms and opinion. The first article — Robert Gibbs should apologize to the British for his sneering rant — is a fairly quiet but firm and  fair analysis of both Obama and Gibbs attitude towards UK. The second article — Memo to attack dog Robert Gibbs: stop pooping on our lawn — is also a favourite. This somewhat uninhibited article does not hold back and is fairly cruel in its lambasting of both Mr. Gibbs and President Obama.

Robert Gibbs should apologize to the British for his sneering rant
From the UK Telegraph
Author: Nile Gardiner

Politico has an extraordinary report on Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, launching a furious broadside against the British press. Here are Gibbs’ sneering and condescending remarks:

“I want to speak generally about some reports I’ve witnessed over the past few years in the British media,” Gibbs said. “In some ways, I’m surprised it filtered down.”

“Let’s just say if I wanted to look up, if I wanted to read a write-up of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champions League Cup, I’d might open up a British newspaper,” he continued. “If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I’m not entirely sure it’d be the first pack of clips I’d pick up.”

Gibbs’ juvenile comments followed an article in The Daily Telegraph relating to the President’s decision not to release new photos reportedly showing appalling prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib by a tiny minority of military personnel. The straightforward news piece, hotly disputed by the White House, is based upon an interview with Major General Antonio Taguba, who oversaw the inquiry into the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal.

For the record I firmly believe the President was right to refuse to release the photos in the face of pressure from the ACLU, which would only further inflame anti-American sentiment across the Muslim world. However I cannot recall an instance like this where the President’s official spokesman has blasted the press of a key ally - in this case America’s closest friend, Great Britain.

This kind of attack would normally be made against the likes of the North Korean or Iranian state media, but in the current climate of “engagement” with America’s enemies the White House is far more likely to attack its own allies. Gibbs’ remarks have echoes of a senior State Department official’s anti-British statements to The Sunday Telegraph after the appalling handling of the Prime Minister’s visit in March.

Can you imagine Gibbs making these remarks about The New York Times or The Washington Post, or NBC, ABC or CBS? This would never happen. The British press, especially the Telegraph, has been singled out because they frequently publish articles critical of the Obama administration and are not afraid to take on the status quo in Washington. Increasingly, millions of Americans are turning to online UK news websites for cutting edge reports on American politics and U.S. foreign policy that the mainstream media refuses to cover in the States, especially if it is unflattering to the Obama White House.

Robert Gibbs’ completely unwarranted rant against the British press is an absolute disgrace, and the President should disown his views. An unreserved apology by Gibbs is also in order.

For all its talk of “raising America’s standing” in the world after the Bush years, the Obama administration is doing a spectacularly bad job of reaching out to its allies. Unfortunately this is the new face of America’s public diplomacy, which will only serve to alienate public opinion across the Atlantic. Congratulations Gibbs - you’ve just made an enemy out of the entire British media, quite an achievement for the man in charge of selling the President’s message.

Memo to attack dog Robert Gibbs: stop pooping on our lawn
From UK Telegraph
Author: James Delingpole