The Washington Independent

Posts Tagged robert gibbs

It’s Like Iran Wants U.N. Security Council Sanctions

By | 11.30.09 | 8:46 am

In a move sure to increase Iran’s international isolation, not only is the Islamic republic showing every sign of rejecting the Vienna deal on uranium enrichment, but now President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces ten new enrichment facilities. The response from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

“If true, this

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White House Quietly Strips the Word ‘Settlement’ From Its Criticism of Israeli Settlements

By | 11.17.09 | 5:17 pm

Maybe “blasts” was the wrong verb for my old headline on the White House’s response to Israel’s expansion of settlements in Palestinian East Jerusalem. The White House appears to have done some editing.

When the White House press shop sent out its statement criticizing Israel this afternoon — I More…

White House Blasts Israel’s New Settlement Construction

By | 11.17.09 | 2:33 pm

Contrary to nearly a year of stern insistence from the Obama administration that Israel refrain from all growth in occupied Palestinian territory — an insistence that frayed with a recent comment by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that the administration has tried to walk back — Israel More…

Why Would Election Fraud in Afghanistan Make People Think the Government Is Illegitimate?

By | 11.02.09 | 2:12 pm

More from today’s funtime White House presser. Jake Tapper of ABC asked Robert Gibbs about the Afghanistan election:

TAPPER:  President Obama last month in Pittsburgh said, of the Afghan elections and the aftermath, “What’s most important is that there’s a sense of legitimacy in Afghanistan among the Afghan

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How You Know Fontaine and Nagl Influenced the White House

By | 11.02.09 | 1:49 pm

If you saw me on al-Jazeera fifteen minutes ago making this point, sorry for repeating myself. But if not: Robert Gibbs said in his White House press conference today that the Obama strategy review for Afghanistan will go on — a troop decision is apparently still weeks away — More…

Politico Could Not Have Gotten This ‘Jihadist’ Explanation More Wrong

By | 10.08.09 | 5:47 pm

So it seems that Robert Gibbs today inelegantly tried to distinguish between al-Qaeda and the Taliban — sigh, that shouldn’t have been too difficult — and in the process of that explanation, used the word “jihadist,” a term that the Obama administration strenuously avoids. Carol E. Lee at Politico More…

Iran’s Nuclear Proposals

By | 09.11.09 | 12:51 pm

As the Obama administration assesses that Iran is near nuclear capability , Iran has released a series of proposals for negotiations on the nuclear question. It’s technically secret, but someone forgot to tell ProPublica’s Dafna Linzer.

In the document, titled “Cooperation for Peace, Justice and Progress,” Iran reiterated

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White House Blasts Israel for New Settlement Construction

By | 09.04.09 | 11:13 am

In defiance of President Obama’s expressed and unequivocal statements and international obligations, the Netanyahu government in Israel intends to authorize “hundreds” of new housing units on Palestinian territory in the West Bank, which the AP reports is a prelude to even more settlement construction. White House Press Secretary Robert More…

Gibbs on the Afghan Elections

By | 08.19.09 | 4:37 pm

From today’s White House press briefing:

Q    Are you still confident that this could be a legitimate election tomorrow?

MR. GIBBS:  We look forward to observing what happens tomorrow and hope that it’s safe and secure.

Can’t really blame him for that dodge. But perhaps the point isn’t getting through More…