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White House Gaggle with Robert Gibbs

President Bill Clinton in North Korea:
Gibbs reiterated that the White House had put out a statement and would not add to it for awhile. He said it was a private mission that did not involve the use of a government aircraft, and that President Clinton was not carrying a message from President Obama.

Obama's Lunch with Senate Democrats:
The economy and healthcare will be on the agenda. All 60 Democrats were invited. Sens. Kennedy and Byrd will not be there. Sen. Mikulski will not be there as she has broken her ankle. Sens. Lieberman and Sanders will be there. The President will reiterate his support for and his desire to extend the cash for clunkers program by taking previously approved money from energy efficiency programs.

Cash For Clunkers:
Gibbs was asked, why not subsidize refrigerators or living room furniture? He said the program would have an impact on energy, security and the environment by taking older, more polluting, inefficient automobiles off the road. They thought the program would be popular; it has proven to be an enormously popular and successful program.

Health Care Town Hall Protests:
Gibbs was asked if what appears to be well orchestrated protests at town halls are derailing the President's message. He said no, and added that the Brooks Brothers Brigade from 2000 in Florida appeared to have rented a similar bus and are appearing together at town hall meetings throughout the country. He saw commonality. He didn’t have names, but saw similarity in who showed up where. He hoped people would take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the astroturf nature of so called grassroots lobbying, manufactured anger.

Response to the Drudge Report:
Asked why the White House responded to an item on the Drudge Report, Gibbs said that there is a tremendous amount of misinformation floating around on health care. They thought it was important to answer it.

White House Counsel Greg Craig:
Asked about a report that Craig is leaving, Gibbs referred to what Jim Messina said in the article, that it is summer in Washington and people like to play parlor games. They have addressed the rumors and they are not true.

Senator McCain Voting No on Sotomayor:
Gibbs said her record as a judge for 17 years and her depth of experience throughout her career make her qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, adding that she will make a good judge. It was disappointing that Senator McCain came to a different conclusion the day after talking about bipartisanship. The swearing in ceremony could happen by the end of this week or the beginning of next week. He will check.

President’s Birthday Celebrations:
Gibbs will seek guidance. Obama had a lot of fun over the weekend. He bowled a 144. There were friends from Chicago, Hawaii, along with his family. They played basketball, pool, had dinner together, had a lot of fun.