The White House downplayed a report Thursday that President Obama’s advisers compare Secretary of State John Kerry to the astronaut played by Sandra Bullock in the movie “Gravity,” saying he is disconnected from the work being done at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
“I saw that there was a reference in [a New York Times] story to the Sandra Bullock movie ‘Gravity,’ ” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “It’s the first time that I heard Secretary Kerry’s name associated with that film, but I can tell you that it seems to me the one thing that Secretary Kerry [has in common] with Sandra Bullock’s character is that he himself has circled the globe many times to advance U.S. interests.
“Secretary Kerry hasn’t just been busy, he’s been effective at advancing American interests around the globe,” Earnest added.
An article published by the Times wasn’t so complimentary, with White House officials linking Kerry to the Bullock character because he was “somersaulting through space, untethered from the White House.”
It’s just the latest example of the White House being forced to respond to insults made by officials in private settings.
Earlier this week, one unnamed senior administration official described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “chickenshit,” prompting condemnation from Kerry, among other major figures in Obama’s orbit.
