The Year in Gibbs: Top Ten Robert Gibbs Moments of 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it's time to take stock of the year that was, and since we in the White House press corps might not have him around much longer, I think it's important to look back on Year Two of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' tenure. While it was a bumpy year for the Obama administration, Gibbs was out there every day, taking the heat and giving some back. As a fourth-row witness to Gibbs' tumultuous year, here are my selections for the Top Ten Robert Gibbs Moments of 2010. Next: #10 - Don't Make Gibbs Angry. You Wouldn't Like Him When He's Angry. #9 - Gibbs Holds First-Ever Daily Briefing in the Rose Garden #8 - Giving Sarah Palin a Hand #7 - A Bet is a Bet #6 - Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart, Settle Down #5 - Gibbs Passes on Chance to Apologize to BP's Tony Hayward #4 - Nobody Puts the Press Pool in the Corner #3 - Taming the Twitterverse #2 - Landing in Hot Water for Giving Democrats a Midterm Reality Check #1 - Taking on "The Professional Left" #10 - Don't Make Gibbs Angry. You Wouldn't Like Him When He's Angry. One of the more welcome moments of comic relief came during a briefing during which Robert Gibbs fielded questions about General Stanley McChrystal's ill-advised Rolling Stone interview through a clenched mask of barely restrained fury and disgust. Apparently, Gibbs has a volatile side that he reserves for the first two rows of White House reporters, because they erupted with laughter when I prefaced my question with the observation that this was the angriest I had ever seen him. Next: #9 - Gibbs Holds First-Ever Daily Briefing in the Rose Garden #9 - Gibbs Holds First-Ever Daily Briefing in the Rose Garden Robert Gibbs made history this year when he moved the daily White House briefing out to the Rose Garden for one gloriously sunny day. While it may not seem like such a big deal, the outdoor briefing was attended by a carnival atmosphere unlike any I've seen. As an added bonus, this briefing offered the world a chance to see a pre-heart attack, pre-makeover Tommy Christopher who looks like he lives "in a van down by the river!" Next: #8 - Giving Sarah Palin a Hand #8 - Giving Sarah Palin a Hand While Gibbs is not exactly Carrot Top, he did take a stab at prop humor this year, employing the sincerest form of flattery on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's mnemonic mano: Next: #7 - A Bet is a Bet #7 - A Bet is a Bet A man is only as good as his word, and Robert Gibbs is no exception. When he lost a bet to his Canadian counterpart Dimitri Soudas, Gibbs made good on his promise to wear a Canadian hockey jersey to a briefing. In an act of true patriotism, however, Gibbs braved the stifling briefing room heat, and also wore a Team USA jersey: Next: #6 - Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart, Settle Down #6 - Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart, Settle Down Although it would still be a few months before it would come to a head, the tension between Gibbs and "professional left" figurehead Keith Olbermann (and, to a lesser extent, Jon Stewart) was foreshadowed in June, when I asked Gibbs if the White House was worried about losing the support of such influential commentators. While Gibbs would later express appreciation for the duo, he showed here that he wasn't afraid to take on critics from the left: Next: #5 - Gibbs Passes on Chance to Apologize to BP's Tony Hayward #5 - Gibbs Passes on Chance to Apologize to BP's Tony Hayward In August, Gibbs was asked if he thought the White House owed BP CEO Tony Hayward an apology, and while the short answer was "no," Gibbs went on to offer a well-modulated explanation of how the administration had had to push the company to step up its efforts. He also admirably resisted the urge to refer the question to Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tx), who did offer Hayward an apology. While Gibbs is well-known for his sense of humor, I have to give the one-liner of the year award to ABC News' Jake Tapper, who zinged Tony Hayward but good as reporters chased him from out in front of the West Wing: Next: #4 - Nobody Puts the Press Pool in the Corner #4 - Nobody Puts the Press Pool in the Corner Relations between the White House Press Corpos and the press secretary can seem almost hostile at times, but when push literally cones to shove, it's nice to know that Robert Gibbs is in our corner. When security officials in India tried to restrict press access to an event in early November, Gibbs stepped in by actually putting his foot down, even daring them to break it. As it happens, this was not a one-off occurrance for Gibbs. In December of last year, he similarly interceded on the press' behalf, that time in Copenhagen: Next: #3 - Taming the Twitterverse #3 - Taming the Twitterverse Spurred on by the incessant tweeting of White House reporters, Gibbs joined the social network of choice for political junkies in January. While he used Twitter to promote on-message links, he also took time to engage critics, and intstituted an innovative weekly Q&A. For my money, though, the pinnacle of Gibbs' Twitter year was in taking a question from Twitter prankster Dr. Mike Hunt, but having the presence of mind not to say the guy's full name in his video response: Next: #2 - Landing in Hot Water for Giving Democrats a Midterm Reality Check #2 - Landing in Hot Water for Giving Democrats a Midterm Reality Check Robert Gibbs caused quite a stir in July when he acknowledged to Meet the Press' David Gregory that "there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There’s no doubt about that." There's little doubt as to the accuracy of his statement, given the fact that most analysts were surprised that the Dems weren't blown out by a wider margin in the midterms, but Democrats flipped out over it just the same, most notably House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As to the wisdom of it, the Democrats' biggest problem in November was a sleepy, disengaged base. If Gibbs was guilty of anything, it was of trying to wake them up. Whether it worked or not is debatable, but their losses could have been worse, and they did retain control of the Senate. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Next: #1 - Taking on "The Professional Left" #1 - Taking on "The Professional Left" In an August interview with The Hill's Sam Youngman, Gibbs candidly lashed out at "the Professional Left," critics whose dissatisfaction with the Obama administration led them to make comparisons to George W. Bush. The Professional Left was not amused, but in jabbing the left-of-center media in the eye, Gibbs accomplished a rare feat for them: white-hot ownership of the news cycle. After a day off, Gibbs returned to face questions about that interview, and he took the opportunity to make the case that the Professional Left should have been making in advance of the midterms: In a year that was bookended by the passage of health care reform and the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell," both immense liberal priorities, it looks like Robert Gibbs may have the last laugh here.

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