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Is Robert Gibbs America’s Funniest Press Secretary?

Robert Gibbs portrait-thumb-340x240.jpg
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Maybe. But we do know he has elicited a lot more laughter in the White House press briefing room than his predecessors. As Politico’s Patrick Gavin points out:

There have been more than 600 instances of “(Laughter.)” during his regular press briefings – an average of more than 10 laughs per day.

Dana Perino, George W. Bush’s last press secretary, got all of 57 laughs in her first four months. Scott McClellan, another Bush press secretary, got just 66 laughs in his first four months.

Gibbs even bests the late Tony Snow, whose jocular performances – dubbed “The Tony Snow Show” by some – drew a relatively paltry 217 laughs during his first four months on the job.

Longtime CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller said that Gibbs is “more inclined to make a wisecrack than any press secretary” he’s covered. Is this an issue, given the domestic and foreign challenges we currently face? Gavin mentioned it, but none of the sources he spoke with brought it up.

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