On Tuesday, The Washington Times reported that State Dept. records show US embassies around the world have purchased about $70,000 copies of President Obama’s books, Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. over the course of several years, to be given as gifts and to stock libraries. During a gaggle aboard Air Force One Wednesday afternoon, Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that “It was an embassy-based decision” to buy those books.

At today’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Jay Carney fielded questions about the scheduling of next week’s jobs speech like a shortstop playing pepper with a meth addict, and while little new was revealed, Carney did say that he spent “a great deal of time with him this morning, and it never came up.”

Carney downplayed the issue, calling it media “catnip,” but reporters continued to press Carney over whether the scheduling snafu was a sign of poor communication.

At Wednesday’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters that this afternoon’s debt ceiling meeting with Congressional leaders would be restricted to a still only “pool spray” at the top of the meeting, and closed to reporters. Carney complained that the last time reporters had been allowed in one of these meetings, they had shouted questions at the President. The response didn’t sit well with CBS News’ Chip Reid, so he, and several others, challenged Carney on the media shutout.

One of the instant memes to pop up around the killing of 9/11 murderer Osama bin Laden is the inevitable confusion between the dead terrorist’s first name, and the President’s last name. Popular on Twitter right now is this screenshot of a Fox affiliate’s chyron, announcing “Obama bin Laden Dead.”

They’re not the first to make the mistake, and weren’t the last, but in an amusing twist, former/future Countdown host Keith Olbermann called out Fox 40′s gaffe…right after he made the very same error (since corrected).

Washington, DC is often referred to as “Hollywood for ugly people,” but in recent years, the town has enjoyed one night of the year when it blossoms into a Hollywood swan: The White House Correspondents Dinner, aka “Nerdprom.” As the dinner’s profile has risen, so has the demand for tickets to see, and be seen, at an event that is ostensibly a celebration of DC’s least glamorous denizens. Even as this year’s Seth Meyers-headlined fete has had to compete with the Royal Wedding, the clamor to get in has reached an all-time zenith.

It was just over a month ago that former print journalist Jay Carney took over as White House Press Secretary from Robert Gibbs, and what a month it has been. With multiple crises in the Middle East, the budget fight, the Wisconsin-led public union protests, and Japan’s earthquake/tsunami/possible nuclear meltdowns, Carney has had many full plates to deal with. All things considered, the White House reporters I’ve spoken with give Carney good marks on his first month on the job, which several of them describe as a “trial by fire.”

The White House press corps is home to several proficient and prolific Twitter users, but there’s only one White House correspondent who has made his Twitter bones without the aid of a tether to the dinosaur media, or even to the baby dinosaur medium of blogging: West Wing Report‘s Paul Brandus, whose indispensable tweets have made him a leading vote-getter for the 2011 Shorty Journalism Award. The Twailblazer™ has kindly agreed to answer our 5 Quick Questions, in between tweets.

The announcement of Jay Carney as successor to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has ended weeks of speculation, but raises questions about how Carney will take to his new post, and it to him. In exclusive comments to Mediaite, members of the White House Press Corps expressed optimism about Carney’s tenure, and identified possible challenges for the new Press Secretary, including his own status as a former journalist, his relative distance from the Obama administration’s inner circle, and his boyish good looks.

While many people have given President Obama’s speech at last night’s memorial high marks, some have been angered, not so much for what Obama said, but for how his words impacted the audience. According to some, Obama gave a speech people enjoyed just too much for a solemn, serious event. The key phrase being tossed around has been that the atmosphere was too much like a “pep rally.” It was this critique that CBS’ Mark Knoller asked Robert Gibbs about.

With the announcement Wednesday morning that White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs will soon be moving on to a role outside the White House, the next big question is: Who will succeed him? There have been a few names kicked around, but the smart money is on Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton, and with the [...]

If this turns out to be an accurate preview it will be a big shocker. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has just said that early returns suggest Dems may be on pace to keep the House.

At Tuesday’s White House briefing, Jon Stewart‘s “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear,” along with President Obama’s appearance on The Daily Show,was a hot topic. Among Press Secretary Robert Gibbs‘ revelations were that, like Glenn Beck‘s  “Restoring Honor” rally, Gibbs had not discussed Stewart’s shindig with the President, the Daily Show appearance was booked long before the rally was conceived, and that the President would not be making an appearance at the rally.

The U.S. State Department has just issued a “travel alert” for Europe. From the New York Times: “The decision to caution travelers comes as counterterrorism officials in Europe and the United States are assessing intelligence about possible plots originating in Pakistan and North Africa aimed at Britain, France and Germany.”

President Obama has been vacationing all week in Martha’s Vineyard and thus far there has been no major news event to to force him back into the public eye. Not that he has managed to get out of it for long. Yesterday reporters followed the President and Mrs. Obama to a local lunch stand, while the two were greeting happy onlookers a reporter attempted to ask Obama about Iraq he responded jovially and with a shrug: “We’re buying shrimp guys.”

The Obama family (sans Malia who is still at camp) visited the Florida panhandle this weekend. But the headliner perhaps, at least as far as the pool reporters (and proud papa Obama) are concerned may have been Sasha’s hole-in-one yesterday during a game of miniature golf.

So far the only place I am seeing this is on Twitter (other than NYC Aviation, which is who reported it in the first place). But apparently when Air Force Two was taking off from a Long Island airport today, with both Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden on board, “the jetblast from the [...]

There are some liberals who are freaking out about Fox News’ move to the front row of the Brady Briefing Room. Not helping matters was Bill O’Reilly‘s joking suggestion that he and Sean Hannity “hog-tie” Major Garrett and go tête-à-tête with Robert Gibbs themselves.

If it helps at all, I can personally vouch for the fact that nothing like this will ever happen. But even if it did, I don’t think it’d be such a bad thing.

It may sound corny to some, but Helen Thomas is never very far a way from my thoughts, but the occasion of the White House Correspondents Association’s re-assignment of her iconic front-row center seat in the Brady Briefing Room provided me with the impetus to speak with Helen for the first time since her controversial retirement. I called her this afternoon to reconnect, and to get her reaction to the news. I was surprised to learn that my call was the first she’d heard of it. Her reaction, and those of some of our colleagues, after the jump.

The Gen. Stanley McChrystal Rolling Stone article story will not end today.

Pres. Obama made a brief statement today in a “press spray,” flanked by Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates, and White House correspondents seem to think the implication was McChrystal will keep his job.

After a week of hype, it turns out President Obama’s big meeting with BP Oil execs at the White House today — the showdown over the Gulf! — is only 20 minutes long, and BP has been told Obama will only attend a “portion” of it. Just enough of a portion for Obama to (literally) kick some ass? We may never know as the meeting is, sadly, closed to press, but even with the President’s inevitably busy schedule 20 minutes doesn’t strike as enough time for much except some stern looking photo ops.

When I first saw Lloyd Grove‘s version of the now-annual effort to autopsy the White House press corps, I rolled my eyes in agreement with Glynnis MacNicol.

Then, I noticed that not one of the 3 C-Spans, nor any other news outlet, carried yesterday’s briefing. Heh, neat coincidence. No biggie. The timing’s a little weird, but these things happen.

Still, before this gains any more traction, allow me to make the case for the press corps to the writer of next year’s “Press Corpse” piece, and anyone else who’s interested.

Why is everyone so determined to kill the White House Press Corps? Last year Ana Marie Cox wrote a much-passed-around op-ed calling for the dismissal of the group altogether. Now Lloyd Grove at the Daily Beast is taking aim wondering whether “the White House press corps teetering (possibly tweeting) on the brink of obsolescence?” But is it really?

CBS radio correspondent Mark Knoller, a favorite around these parts (and an Office Hours guest) is getting his stipple due in the Wall St. Journal today.

I’m fairly certain that at some point this is going to end in tears. Regular watchers of the White House will likely already be aware that both deputy press secretary Bill Burton and Press Secretary Robert Gibbs are now on Twitter. So, what’s their plan?

We’ve got a packed Mediaite Office Hours today from Livestream.com’s studio at 3pmET. Joining us today will be CBS News’ Mark Knoller, New York Times‘ Brian Stelter and more: