Robert Gibbs

“ I'm sorry, but I didn't hear an answer to Anne's specific question of whether President Obama thinks the surge worked. I heard him talk about improved security and I heard him thank the military. But what about the strategy?
GIBBS: Well, but remember that -- go back and read the very beginning, the stories of what the surge outlined. The surge was quite clearly an effort to add more troops that would ultimately bring about a change in the political reconciliation and dynamic in the country. ”

“ The board at Citi has to be reconstituted to a large degree. And I think many of the steps that Treasury took in the agreement represent an important change from what has happened before; gives Citi the opportunity with more capital to have a better outcome.
[REPORTER] : Have what?
GIBBS: Have a better outcome.
[REPORTER] : Can I ask one more GDP question? The stimulus -- the $800 billion -- the roughly $800 billion figure for the stimulus was decided upon in December. We now know that things are worse than we knew then; the 6 percent contraction can eat up $800 billion pretty quickly. ”

“ The former NSC spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, today said that this only was possible -- this plan laid out today was only possible because of the surge, and that in fact this plan is in keeping with basically the rough outlines of what the Bush administration had thought of doing itself. How would you characterize that? And does the President believe the surge was necessary to get to this point?
GIBBS: Well, I think as the President said in the campaign, that the security situation has gotten better in the -- over the past couple years in Iraq ”

“ I don't have enough guidance on that at the moment. Let me look up -- if you guys don't have anything else -- give me one second.
[REPORTER] : How do you like being in the tail of a plane? (Laughter.) ”