Is “Beer Summit, part 2” in the works?
On this weekend’s broadcast of CNN’s “State of the Union,” Obama economic adviser Gene Sperling suggested he and journalist Bob Woodward are poised to resolve the very public conflict they’ve had in recent days. (RELATED BLOG: How Woodward played us by playing up Sperling’s “threat”)
“You know, Bob and I have known each other for 20 years, and we’ve always had a friendly and respectful relationship,” Sperling said. “Anybody who looks at the emails that went from me and that came back from him can see that there’s respect and friendliness.”
Sperling, who added that he hasn’t spoken recently with Woodward, said his spat with the veteran Washington Post reporter has distracted the political community from larger issues. (RELATED — Woodward bombshell: Obama repeatedly lied about sequester trigger)
“I hope that him and I can put this behind us,” Sperling said. “And I hope that it helps all of us focus on, I think, the issues Bob and I care most about, which is how we come to the type of budget agreement that will help our economy, help jobs, help middle class Americans.”
On Sunday’s “Face the Nation” on CBS, Woodward said he intended to invite Sperling and even President Barack Obama himself over for a friendly chat.
“The answer is yes,” Woodward said, referring to Sperling’s proposition of moving on from the incident. “He’s a peacemaker. I am in the business of listening, and I’m going to invite him over to my house, if he’ll come — and hopefully he’ll bring others from the White House, maybe the president himself, and we can– you know, talking really works.”
Watch:
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