White House Spokesman Apologizes After Saying 'Professional Left' Should Be Drug Tested

White House spokesman and President Barack Obama's close aide, Robert Gibbs, apologized after a newspaper published an interview in which he took some tough jabs at the left wing of Obama's own Democratic Party.

In an interview with the political newspaper "The Hill", Gibbs took some swipes at people he described as the "professional left" for what he saw as unfair criticism of Obama's allegedly not doing enough in terms of reforms.

"They wouldn't be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president," the spokesman quipped, referring to the Ohio congressman known for his leftist positions.

"I hear these people saying he's like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested," Gibbs said. "I mean, it's crazy."

Gibbs later said he had spoken "inartfully."

"I watch too much cable, I admit. Day after day, it gets frustrating."

"So we should all, me included, stop fighting each other and arguing about our differences on certain policies, and instead work together to make sure everyone knows what is at stake because we've come too far to turn back now," he said.

Gibbs added that "since coming to office in January 2009, this White House and Congress have worked tirelessly to put our country back on the right path. Most importantly, to dig our way out of a huge recession and build an economy that makes America more competitive and our middle class more secure. Some are frustrated that the change we want hasn't come fast enough for many Americans. That we all understand."