Chuck Todd Interviews Robert Gibbs On "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Health Care Reform, Stimulus (VIDEO)

NBC's Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd, filling for Chris Matthews as host of "Hardball" tonight, conducted a lengthy interview with White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Todd questioned Gibbs on whether the White House really thought that Congress could handle all the items on President Obama's agenda, including energy legislation, health care reform, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). Gibbs, coming off a pretty significant victory in getting climate change legislation through the House, sounded quite confident, even saying they could handle "financial regulatory reform" and place Sotomayor on the Court in good time:

There's no doubt that it will be hard. The easiest thing for this town to do is the same old thing. I think we've proven, in a short period of time, we're not afraid to tackle a lot of big issues, and I think we've seen progress in Congress dealing with a lot on their plate.

Todd brought up the stimulus package, calling it a "political football" for Republicans. He asked Gibbs point-blank when we should start to judge whether it's working or not. Gibbs replied," I think we should begin to judge it now." Todd then pressed Gibbs, asking to judge it on what, and if we should include recent job losses. Gibbs backed off a bit, and told Todd that we should take the "long view." Gibbs called the stimulus a two-year plan, "so it's not all gonna be fixed in 90 or a 100 days."

At the end of the interview, Todd played a clip of Gibbs saying firmly that the Obama administration would end DADT, and then a clip from a month ago Gibbs appearing to soften its position by saying they want Congress to do it. Gibbs gave lackluster responses, especially when later asked why Obama doesn't stop the discharges of critical gay service members, like Arabic translators. However Gibbs did emphasize that when Obama faces re-election in 2012, DADT will have been repealed.

Watch the interview below.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Comments

[Bitsko]

I'd like to hear the chicken-shite members of Congress do something as well.

[Philip Combs]

Oh?

How many of them promised to get rid of DADT?

I must have missed Joe Lieberman's statement on that.

[SiberianRat]

Ah, let the Obama-bash fest begin. Everyone thinks he should do everything on THEIR schedule. It's getting really old. He'll do what he said, and I hope to read a deluge of messages here saying "oh, I was wrong--he did do what he promised. If maybe I had waited a few minutes before spouting angry and even whiny rhetoric, I wouldn't look like such a fool right now." I'm not going to hold my breath for those messages. I imagine that when everyone's life isn't suddenly better because they can openly serve in the military or if they marry but it doesn't work, they'll blame Obama.

Btw, Chuck Todd seems like a gnat you can't shoo away. I truly dislike his style--it's not hard-hitting, IMO--it's annoying.

[Mattie]

yeah, who wants a media that asks questions and holds people accountable. We need the press to behave just like they did during the Bush regime. It's just not right is it, to question the President on promises he's made.

[Bitsko]

I never hear that many complaints about Congress dragging their arses about this.

[Philip Combs]

That's because you spend too much time under yer bridge, Sir Troll.

[Highwind]

I will hold the Congress more accountable than Obama on this. They could do things to, but they are saying that the White House should send the legislation. They are all weasels.

[FlamingLibrul]

SiberianRat, why are you so quick to deride people's feelings of disappointment and even anger? The facts are that the Obama courted the gay community as a candidate, making promises that no one forced him to make.

I'm okay with things being put on hold when we have a grave economic crisis to deal with, but I'm not okay with the way the Obama administration has gone out of its way to shunt us aside. I'm not okay with the shocking insensitivity from someone who said he would be a "Fierce Advocate" for the LGBT community.

The Obama administration said it would work to repeal DOMA, and then allowed lawyers representing the administration to defend DOMA by using an incest analogy. This is not right- and people are justifiably angry- even if it bothers you.

[FlamingLibrul]

P.S., it only takes a signature on an Executive Order to put a hold on the DADT policy, until things are eventually sorted out. Apparently, that is not politically feasable at this time for the president either.

[SiberianRat]

I'm deriding what I see as the childish impatience and sense of "me first, my problems are the most important--me, me, me" There seems to be a stunning lack of knowledge about the political process and a stunning lack of foresight about what would happen if he had tried to tackle all of this stuff already. If, in the midst of the most extreme financial crisis we've had in almost a century, in the midst of 2 wars, in the midst of a crumbling education system and corrupt healthcare system, he had made it his top priority to deal with gay issues, the GOP would have had all the ammo in the world they'd need to go after him and the Dems. Also, if gays can marry but don't have healthcare and their kids are going to 3rd-world schools, then has he really served them? If they can't find a job or afford housing, has he served them? Sorry, but people need to get past their selfish sense of entitlement and look at the big picture.

[DietrichMoody]

Oh Really!, Oh, Geez. There is almost this false modesty, or False EMPATHY, from Mainstream media regarding Gay Issues.

Has Chuck Todd come out? If so, Good, Great, Enjoy. But really, If media is going this route, and steering towards gotcha journalism, I'd rather Chuck Todd ask a questions about Michael Jackson, from a National Security standpoint - call it dumb for some of you BUT Who wasn't more "a sexual", and had more of an OPEN MINDED fan base: Gay, Straight, Muslim, Christian, brown, black, etc., than the Jackson.

There is a great piece in one of the Indonesion papers (yes, the largest Muslim Country in the World) or Malaysian paper, available online, on how there it is perceived opinion in THAT PART of the world, on how the 80's: Michael Jackson and Reagan knocked down communism and showed the good of American Culture.

[RonNYC]

i for one will not be voting for O again because of DADT. he should not have mentioned it on day 2 of his presidency and got everyone's hopes up. i know he has major things to do but he is just plain wrong.

[Bitsko]

Enjoy your new friends. BTW, they don't think you should be alive.

[Philip Combs]

Really?

I feel kinda the same way about Obots.

[Marcus Hopkins]

Right. We've heard all of this, before. Empty words and empty promises.

Promises are promises; actions are actions.

[johnmorgan]

... A promise is a promise, Mr. President.­..

[Pigeon2]

Remember what Nobama said once..."Wo­rds...just words..."