WASHINGTON — Robert Gibbs lovingly placed a small statue of Aubie, Auburn University's tiger mascot, on the front of his desk at the White House Wednesday."You know that God is an Auburn fan," Gibbs said, smiling sunnily, "because the sun is orange and the sky is blue."President Obama's press secretary will take time off from his day job come Jan. 10 so he and two high school pals can go to the Bowl Championship Series title game in Arizona matching their beloved Auburn with Oregon."I've told my friends the only request I have is a nice Chinese restaurant for the night before the game," Gibbs said, "so that we can have some duck."Gibbs grew up in Auburn, where his parents worked for the university library, and he and his brother sat in the faculty section at games. His esteem for Auburn football is so deep he'd even root for the Tigers against North Carolina State, his alma mater.GIBBS' PICK: 'Underestimated' D will lift Auburn to title"Auburn is where I grew up," he said. "That's my first love."Gibbs, 39, clarified that he'd root for N.C. State in basketball and any sport other than football. He was a backup on Wolfpack soccer teams in the early 1990s."I was a goalkeeper, which was excellent practice for what I do now," Gibbs said, "standing up there, making sure something doesn't get past you."President Obama is on record that he thinks a playoff would be better than the BCS system, which left an undefeated Auburn out of the national title game after the 2004 season and will do the same to an undefeated TCU team this time.Gibbs concurs but jokes, "I may get the president to amend doing away with the BCS until sometime after mid-January."Gibbs set aside questions about an NCAA probe into the recruiting of quarterback Cam Newton, the Heisman winner."Look, I think the NCAA has come to their decision on that," Gibbs said. "Cam Newton is eligible. He has been for college football this year a terrific and wonderful story. … With that smile and with those runs he has lit up a lot of Auburn faces this year."Gibbs plans to place a friendly wager with Oregon grad Sean Smith, assistant secretary for public affairs in the Department of Homeland Security. "I have as many combinations of hats, sweatshirts and jackets as our team does uniforms," Smith said.Auburn fans hang toilet paper from old-growth oak trees at Toomer's Corner after big wins. Gibbs and his son Ethan, 7, did the same, "albeit with less toilet paper," in the tree in their front yard after games against Alabama and South Carolina. Ethan "thinks it's the greatest thing we've ever done."Would Gibbs consider TP-ing trees at the White House if Auburn wins the national title?"I will have to talk to the Secret Service beforehand so they know that it's simply a tradition," Gibbs said, "but that's not a bad idea."
Those are some of the most insightful statements I've ever heard him say.
Dude...how bad ass would it be to have pictures of trees with TP hanging off of it in front of the White House after an Auburn National Championship. If you had pictures of that...you could make a fucking mint...
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