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  Gibbs and Russian spar on freedom
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ContributorBrandonius Maximus 
Last EditedBrandonius Maximus  Jan 13, 2011 01:12pm
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CategoryGeneral
AuthorGLENN THRUSH
News DateThursday, January 13, 2011 07:10:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionThere was a bizarre – but riveting – Cold War moment in the White House briefing room on Thursday.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, still groggy after Air Force One’s night flight from Tucson, Ariz., had spent the better part of an hour discussing the emotional impact of Saturday’s shooting on President Obama and his speechwriting staff.

Into this somber atmosphere stepped correspondent Andrei Sitov – of Russia’s official news agency ITAR-TASS – who passionately demanded to know if the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and murder of six people on Saturday was a byproduct of excessive personal freedom.

Sitov began by offering condolences to the victims of the shooting, then mused on America’s “quote-unquote freedom of the deranged mind” to buy a gun, show up at an open-air congressional town hall and kill.

Gibbs, who had been speaking sotto voce, raised his tone to typical press briefing volume to trumpet the “American” virtues of “freedom of expression” and the freedom of assembly, which Sitov later interpreted on the crackdown by President Vladimir Putin, who has restricted many press and personal freedoms.

“I think it's important to understand that, as I said earlier, [Giffords’ "Congress on Your Corner"] event ... was the exercise of some very important, very foundational freedoms to this country: the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, the freedom to petition your government, democracy that -- or a form of self-government that is by and for the people -- all of -- all very quintessential American values that have been on display, along with the tremendous courage and resilience of those in that community and throughout this country that have had to deal with this tragedy,” Gibbs said.
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