Je-heezius Christ! And these are the same people who are pushing tort reform because of all the frivolous lawsuits.

Thank God nobody's out there burning a flag or we'd never get around to talking about healthcare.

Yup, "the media loves a good fight." Republicans understand that very, very well. And it's why Obama, who seems to avoid conflict, has ceded the initiative to them on so many occasions. I see things like this story and hope that he's actually starting to get some fight into his approach, but that optimism always has been short lived so far...

Has anyone heard Fox mention the brutal beating of a black lady in a Cracker Barrel store, in front of her 7 year old daughter, by a large white male while he was calling her all kinds of racial nasty things. She was a member of the military and had only asked him to be careful because he slammed a door and nearly hit her daughter.Story on DU today, with pic of the man.

Anyone linking "czars" and "communists" doesn't realize that the commies got rid of the czar. To paraphrase ta-nehisi, "I don't know anything about history and I'm proud of it."

Surely, you understand the profound difference between Obama and all the other Presidents. All the other Presidents who appointed czars were white.

I'll burn a flag.

Heck no one objected when Clinton's penisâ„¢ was in office, so, it must be a racial thing.

The White House has officially responded to this nonsense. You can check it out at the website below. Bottom line, the Republicans don't have their facts straight, and their hypocrisy is just breathtaking. We would expect nothing less from this dishonest opposition party.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-Truth-About-Czars/

Washgington's long term memory goes all the way back to this morning.

The american public's is shorter. . .

"The question, then, is whether news outlets will pretend this is a legitimate story anyway, by virtue of GOP complaints."

How many fucking times are we going to ask this question?

I used to think "Idiocracy" was darkly prophetic.

Now I think it's hopelessly optimistic.

Oh, sure, Gibbs came prepared with facts, but we know that facts cannot penetrate the well worn armor of ignorance that Beck's Brigade dons every morn.

No, if Gibbs wants to deflect the talk about czars and steal the news cycle, he's going to need to think outside the box. Perhaps he could kidnap a white girl, or get beaten up by some black or brown guys.

it's quite unseemly for gibbs to bring sexual innuendo into the whole czar thing, right al?

Czar = Russian

Russian = Communist

Get it?

I used to think "Idiocracy" was darkly prophetic.

Now I think it's hopelessly optimistic.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That statement is hilarious, but at the same time, sobering as hell.

How often did the White House Press Corps, Repiglicans all, have to change their DEPENDS when Gibbs answered them ?

Glenn Beck talked about it, which means right-wing activists are worked up about it, which means Republicans lawmakers have embraced it as a serious matter. As is always the case, the political media establishment notices the uproar, and decides it must be a legitimate "story."

If that isn't it in a nutshell. To paraphrase Atrios, our discourse (to say nothing of our corporate media) is so very, very stupid.

American Heritage Foundation Dictionary:

abstinence n. The act or practice of getting other people - esp libruls - to refrain from indulging in alcohol and sex in order to maintain cred with your religious base.

I've become convinced that Beck isn't so much a political commentator as he is a cult leader.

Well done, Gibbsy-boy. Can we do this every time a ridiculous accusation is leveled against Obama, or is this a one time deal, from which the Dems will return to their usual cowardly silence?

I wonder how many in the RW mob think the czars were communists?

Good for Gibbs to do some butt kicking, we need to see more of that. But some Dems are now getting on the bandwagon, political football of "czars" versus oversight etc.

Michael#, any bunch that (like Glenn Beck) thinks exhaled CO2 in the surface carbon cycle, is like bringing more up from underground, could believe czars were commies.

It isn't that the prez has czars - it is the extremist nature of those czars; the ulterior agenda that, taken together, they reveal (which is a big bait-and-switch on the centrist agenda he ran on); the mindset and philosophy that the czars reveal taken together with the extremists he associated before becoming president; and finally, the fate of the republic if Obama effects the "fundamental transformation" of America he appears to have in mind.

it is the extremist nature of those czars; the ulterior agenda that, taken together, they reveal

Extremist? Really? Offer some proof. What exactly is "extremist" about administrators who've been put at the head of various initiatives, most of which have been in place for many past presidents?

Oh, you're just LIBELING Obama and these people because you believe, on the basis of no evidence whatsoever, that there is something extremist going on.

Paranoid people like you are a disgrace to our democracy.

I was a "czar" for a white collar corporation. Believe me, there is nothing insidious about it except the hours and the stress and the thankless work.

the fate of the republic if Obama effects the "fundamental transformation" of America he appears to have in mind.

You have read one too many Enquirer magazines and seen one to many movies. There is nothing remotely "extremist" that would affect the "fate" of the Republic...except paranoid kooks like yourselves who've convinced themselves that the Apocalypse is upon us because a centrist (and yes, he is very centrist) African-American Democrat was elected president and you feel the need to bring loaded guns to presidential events and talk about secession and armed revolt because Congress let the Bush tax cuts on the rich expire.

Get a fucking grip on yourself.

The phoney nonesense about Obama's "czars" is just this week's noise from Repubicans. These are the same guys who only yesterday accused the Democrats in the House of "wasting their valuable time with political stunts and distractions." These hypcrites don't deal in facts; there is such a vacuum of leadership that all they can do is gin up negative emotional responses. Never mind that Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2 all appointed czars with the blessings of the same Congressmen who now decry them. Pseudo-outrage is served up as fodder for Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs, and media wing of the Republican Party, Fox News. A constant serving of hypocritical, irrational bullshit keeps the the right wing wacko fringe fed and fuels their hate and anger. It's all about creating an anti-Obama spectacle and keeping it alive.

More than that they would NEVER want the government to run anything in their life, now they beg for it! - wethepeople

Agreed. The 600 billion or so the DoD wastes in typical government fashion should be turned over to Blackwater, sorry Xe, these guys have the proven ability to handle unfriendlies. The banks, which clearly know how run an efficient business, ought to be relieved of government oversight that is only holding back their profits. Consumer protection is for pussies, a bit of spoiled food every now and then just serves to activate your body's defense system. I mean, the list just goes on and on, doesn't it?

Why are the Rs wasting time on this garbage? Oh wait, it's because they think government is wasteful and they're doing a bang up job proving the point. They sure as h*ll don't know anything about governing. Just politics.

As for this czar business, for heaven's sake, the administration should throw the Rs off by always calling those in the "czar" positions by their real titles, long as they might be. And every time the Rs mention a particular czar - on the house floor, pressers, etc., correct them by giving the real title.

Just as every time an R uses "Democrat" as an adjective, he/she should be, in the nicest voice, corrected, as in "I believe my friend meant to use the word "Democratic" in that sentence, in order to be grammatically correct." Every time.

And whenever Bachmann opens her mouth, a Dem should say "I do believe that my friend is batsh*t crazy. I hope you have a good psychiatrist. I think it's covered under our premium health care plan that you don't wish your constituents to have."

Rachel had me in stitches the first 5 or so minutes of her show tonight. Brava!

Wet He-People (man, what a homoerotic name!) just revealed the way most cult members will backpedal on this. Now the claim will be "extremist", "dangerously overreaching" or as Wet said, "creepy". Nice scary sounding words with no substance, and so harder to smack down.

It's all about setting the tone, but they flubbed it. Instead of making a general sense of unease, they're looking more and more like cranks and kooks.

Come on back when you have something of substance, Wet He-People.