If the president's mouthpiece is a human piñata, as one former press secretary put it, then Robert Gibbs (pictured) is a papier mâché tiger.
And the White House press secretary is feeling the hits more and more, as the daily briefings get more contentious and he faces an increasingly prying press corps.
Piñata may not be a role Gibbs is comfortable playing.
But in response to rising pressure, analysts say Gibbs is showing a thin skin, quick to punch back and take a dig at a reporter rather than absorb it and move on.
More of the “piñata in the WH press room” story here.
A picture of my cave
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