RUSH: This is very curious, folks. Last night I had a story here from Breitbart.com, about Jay Carney contradicting Obama on the closure of the White House tours. Obama said the Secret Service made him do it. And Jay Carney said (paraphrasing), “No, the Secret Service told us what was, gave us, you know, the particulars, the data, but it was up to us. We’re the only ones that can shut down the tours.” He just blatantly, totally contradicted Obama within one half hour of each other. I pointed it out yesterday when it happened. And when it happened — I didn’t say this to you because I was a little dumbfounded by it — but I said something here is just really, really out of whack. Carney, up ’til now, has been the most loyal mouthpiece and regurgitator you could hope for. Whatever unbelievable statement Obama makes, there’s Carney repeating it and embellishing it.

And, frankly, I thought Carney was oftentimes making a fool of himself saying things in order to stay on the same page as Obama. This White House tour business came up, and it was a direct contradiction. And now, right before the break at the top of the hour, we had this story from Mediaite and a pull quote: “Are the wheels coming off in the White House? Over the past few weeks, however, a noticeable behavior has manifested itself in Carney’s daily briefings. He has become more testy, more combative, more personal with the White House Press Corps than anyone in his position prior. It seems if any reporter questions this White House — which has arguably experienced its worst month if recent precipitous drops in the polls are any indication — they are attacked publicly and directly.”

That’s a pull quote from a story whose headline is: “White House Press Secretary Clearly Stressed and Burnt Out.” And they’re asking here if Carney maybe should go if the pressure is getting to be too much. You know, maybe the guy’s got a conscience. Maybe the guy doesn’t want to appear to be a fool. I mean, look, to have to run out there and tell people that the Secret Service ordered us to shut down the tours, maybe that was the last straw kind of thing. I don’t know that anybody believes that. I think that is one of the indications the wheels are coming off. Remember, now, folks, it is simple, easily understood things that trip up master manipulators like Obama.

Now, this White House tour business, it’s not hard to understand here. People plan for a month. We’ve got this government sequester, have to cut back spending. They don’t understand the White House tours being canceled. Kids don’t get to see the White House and so forth, it doesn’t compute because other crazy things are still going on. The government hasn’t shut down. Then Obama goes out and says he had nothing to do with it, Secret Service. And people just instinctively say, “That’s not true.” And Carney did not want to repeat that. And Carney also said today that the White House is not gonna reverse itself. The White House tours are going to remain closed. The decision to cancel the tours will not be revised. Carney said that today.

Now, I’m wondering if other White House operatives might be circulating this news to Mediaite that Carney is frazzled and burnt out and the wheels are coming off. I’m just wondering if there are other White House operatives in there who are attempting to back-stab the guy. Because this is really weird. Of all the things to have a disagreement about, a falling out over. Of all the things for Carney to quite obviously disagree with the president about, it is very, very puzzling.