David Axelrod has written Gene Sperling off as a political lightweight lacking the tonnage to have intimidated Bob Woodward in their dust-up over the sequester.
Appearing on today's Morning Joe, Axelrod sarcastically asked "what is Gene Sperling going to do to Bob Woodward? Bob Woodward, who faced down H.R. Haldeman as a young man, feels intimidated by Gene Sperling?" You really have to hear the sneer in Axelrod's voice as he pronounces the name "Gene Sperling" to appreciate just how far under the bus Axelrod was willing to throw a fellow member of Team Obama. View the video after the jump.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: If you want to get something done [in Washington], you don't get in somebody's face and say, let me tell you. You go up to them and say, listen, we're friends, we know how this works, I mean --
DAVID AXELROD: What is, what is Gene Sperling going to do to Bob Woodward?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh my God!
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, come on!
AXELROD: Wat is Gene Sperling going to do to Bob Woodward? Bob Woodward who faced down as a young man H.R. Haldemann is worried, feels intimidated, by Gene Sperling? Please!
JOHN HEILEMANN: Do not diss Gene Sperling. He is a fierce, fierce man.
AXELROD: He's the Albert Schweitzer of economists.
SCARBOROUGH: He's the Tony Soprano of Democratic politics.
