On her show Monday night, Greta Van Susteren asked Rick Santorum about a casually-worded tweet Robert Gibbs sent out earlier today.
The tweet:
Disarray = Boehner vs Cantor, Boehner vs McConnell & McConnell vs McConnell - why hold middle class tax cuts hostage to these disagreements
Susteren argued that Gibbs' naming conventions didn't show due respect to the congressional leaders in question.
VAN SUSTEREN: Robert Gibbs is not the President of the United States, and to show that much disrespect for an elected member of Congress -- even referring to him as "Boehner". We refer to President Obama here as "President Obama"; you as "Senator".
When is President Obama gonna slap down his Press Secretary, and say it's one thing to have a disagreement, but at least show some respect?
SANTORUM: Well, I think he's taking his cues from his boss. I mean, you saw the President -- we talked about this the last time I was on the show. I mean, The President was out on the road talking trash to Republicans, I mean, being very condescending -- personally condescending 00 to leader Boehner and to others. And so what I think he's doing is actually following his bosses' lead as opposed to doing something that has boss doesn't want him to do, unfortunately.
To defend Gibbs (but not Obama's general attitude), my guess is that Gibbs was working with the 140 character constraints of Twitter.
Tweeting "Senate Minority Leader McConnell", "House Minority Leader Boehner", and "Minority Whip Eric Cantor" leaves you with just about 50 characters left in your tweet.
