Twitter Spat: Robert Gibbs vs. Stephen Hayes

In an unprecedented example of new-media outreach, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs spent about two hours Thursday night debating The Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes on Twitter about the small-business bill before Congress.

The debate appeared to be spontaneous -- and even spilled over into Friday morning, as Gibbs Tweeted,

@stephenfhayes I have enjoyed our tweets – shows that a good debate doesn't have to be a nasty debate

The debate was heated but civil. Still, some on the left were not pleased by Gibbs' outreach to a conservative pundit. For example, The American Prospect's Adam Serwer Tweeted:

Raise a hand if u've ever, evereverever, seen @PressSec debate someone from "professional left" the way he is w/@stephenfhayes on twitter

I was on Fox News Friday morning, discussing the Twitter battle.

You can view the video here: