Focus on real enemies

President Obama learned from the Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals to pick an enemy, name it, isolate it and polarize it. Since running for and then becoming president, he’s tended to pick those who don’t agree with him in a significant enough way that they could pose obstacles to passing his agenda.

The Obama White House is still picking on Fox News, and it’s getting pretty bizarre. Take this snip from NRO:

Cheers to ABC’s Jake Tapper for making White House spokesman Robert Gibbs squirm over the administration’s pathetic decision to treat Fox as if it’s not a “real” news organization.  Here’s the transcript from todays press briefing [Oct. 20]:

Tapper: It’s escaped none of our notice that the White House has decided in the last few weeks to declare one of our sister organizations “not a news organization” and to tell the rest of us not to treat them like a news organization. Can you explain why it’s appropriate for the White House to decide that a news organization is not one –

(Crosstalk)

Gibbs: Jake, we render, we render an opinion based on some of their coverage and the fairness that, the fairness of that coverage.

Tapper: But that’s a pretty sweeping declaration that they are “not a news organization.” How are they any different from, say –

Gibbs: ABC –

Tapper: ABC. MSNBC. Univision. I mean how are they any different?

Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o’clock tonight. Or 5 o’clock this afternoon.

Tapper: I’m not talking about their opinion programming or issues you have with certain reports. I’m talking about saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization, do not work for a “news organization” — why is that appropriate for the White House to say?

Gibbs: That’s our opinion.

How very persuasive, Mr. Gibbs.

And how little that makes the White House communications office and the office of the presidency appear.

He’s willing to sit down with dictators and tyrants and bring bitter enemies to the table to dialogue. But he won’t talk to the top-rated American cable news network because they have a couple of commentators who regularly criticize his policies. He and his staff should be above such pettiness.

But maybe they’ll give up on Fox News soon. Because it appears Mr. Obama has picked a new target. 

The uneasy relationship between the Obama White House and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has steadily eroded over the past several months, with the business group’s opposition to health care and climate change legislation triggering an all-fronts backlash from the administration.

The administration is now trying to neutralize the Chamber by doing an end-run around the group and dealing directly with its members.

During remarks in early October, President Obama named and shamed the Chamber for opposing a consumer protection agency.

And the White House again criticized the group Tuesday, telling Fox News in an e-mail that the group’s opposition to reform efforts gives the administration pause.

So now the White House is willing to send an email to Fox News. It’s a start.