Things are getting ugly in Washington D.C.
In the final months of the Obama White House, advisors (and the President himself) are airing their feelings about the ‘thinkers’ who guide and report on US Foreign Policy.
A writer for The Atlantic recently revealed that Obama ‘secretly disdains’ the ‘Washington foreign-policy establishment’ which he sees as consumed by groupthink (though, to be honest, his contempt was never much of a secret).
Last week, things escalated. Senior advisor Ben Rhodes called out pretty much everyone for being part of the ‘Washington Blob’.
[Rhodes] developed a healthy contempt for the American foreign-policy establishment, including editors and reporters at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker and elsewhere, who at first applauded the Iraq war and then sought to pin all the blame on Bush and his merry band of neocons when it quickly turned sour […]
According to Rhodes, The Blob includes Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates and other Iraq-war promoters from both parties who now whine incessantly about the collapse of the American security order in Europe and the Middle East.
Rhodes hit out at the media as well.
“Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns,” he said, “they literally know nothing.”
That was big talk, especially coming from the ‘Boy Wonder’ at the White House, who joined Obama’s campaign as an aspiring novelist turned speechwriter in his late 20s.
Understandably, The Blob isn’t taking the criticism lying down – and things are getting out of hand.
Deputy National Security Adviser For Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes speaking at the White House this year. Source: AAP
Foreign Policy, an otherwise fusty establishment publication, published a piece describing Ben Rhodes as ‘the asshole who is the president’s foreign policy guru’ (and that was just the headline).
The Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who wrote the ‘asshole’ article then defended himself in a follow-up article, titled On calling Ben Rhodes and ‘asshole’.
“A special circumstance, in which the word ‘asshole’ perfectly fit the person […] If the shoe fits, wear it, Ben,” Thomas E. Ricks wrote.
The Washington Post also published a smack-down, Why the Ben Rhodes profile in the New York Times Magazine is just gross, which slammed both Rhodes and the author of the New York Times profile.
Even Jeffery Goldberg, another otherwise highly respected author, was reduced to copy/pasting back-and-forth emails to defend himself from a claim made in the profile (that Rhodes had masterfully manipulated Goldberg’s opinions).
The Blob wasn't exactly covering itself in glory.
Things peaked, however, when Jonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC (America) asked the White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest what must have been the best question of the day.
“Do you think Hillary Clinton is part of the foreign policy blob?”
“I’m not even sure what that means,” Earnest replied.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest couldn't contain a smile. Source: White House
