In Transition

On ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, fill-in host Jake Tapper played a series of clips from present and former White House press secretaries giving their tips about the job for Robert Gibbs, who will hold that job under Barack Obama.

But when Tapper noted that Obama has suggested the media focus too often on "silly things," Gibbs offered some observations of his own about the press.

"I wouldn't disagree that there were times in the campaign that that ... we were watching hundreds of thousands of people lose their jobs, and we were debating the meaning of the phrase 'lipstick on a pig,'" Gibbs said.

He was referring to the mini-tempest that occurred when he dismissed John McCain's claim to the mantle of change by ticking off his policy positions and saying, ""That's not change. That's just calling the same thing something different. You can put lipstick on a pig - it's still a pig."

The McCain camp called the remark a slur on McCain running mate Sarah Palin who made lipstick a buzzword in the campaign at the Republican convention by saying it was what made the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull.

"In large ways, the public gets their information through a working press," Gibbs said. "It's up to the press secretary to advocate for the type of access and for the type of knowledge that they need, to do their job in order to be able to communicate the president's message..

"My guess is, if you can talk to the current administration, particularly as it relates to the economic recovery or the money that's been used to help, you know, banks and to relieve the stresses on our financial system, is -- if they could do it all over again, I bet one of the things that they might tell you is, they need -- probably needed a stronger communications strategy for letting people know and understand how this was going to work and what this money was going to be used for."

Sounds like Gibbs may have read the Washington Post piece saying that the relentless news cycle was making a bad recession worse.

Eric Weiner wrote: "If the FDA regulated the media, it would require all stories about the economy to carry this warning: 'Dizziness and pangs of existential angst may result. Do not read if you suffer from gloominess or are prone to bouts of anxiety. If you are near retirement age or work in the auto industry, consult with a physician before reading.' "