Gibbs: Obama inaugural address "meets the moment"

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama's upcoming inaugural address "very much meets the moment of where we are" today on CBS This Morning, previewing a "hopeful" speech that "talks about the values and the visions and the ideals that bring us to this very moment as Americans."

"You'll hear the president talk a lot about what we have to do in this country together," said Gibbs. "One party can't solve these issues; not even just those in government can tackle those challenges. All Americans need to move beyond what's paralyzed this town for so long and make some real progress."

But sanguinity has limits. "It's not as if we're going to solve the really big issues or really big divides in beliefs," Gibbs said, "but we can, if we sit down long enough, work together, and talk together and make some progress on the issues that face us."

Gibbs was asked about personnel turnover at the White House, and he downplayed suggestions that a new team could experience some growing pains. "The great thing about that building," Gibbs said of the White House, "is there are literally dozens and dozens of really talented people.

"All of us are close enough, by phone or by car, that if he calls and needs something, as I've told people, you say 'yes sir.'"

Gibbs also fended off suggestions that the President's team has a deficit of powerful females, pointing to several important women in the President's orbit. "If you look at people like [Secretary of Health and Human Services] Kathleen Sebelius and [Secretary of Homeland Security] Janet Napolitano, it's hard to imagine there are two maybe more important agencies that we deal with each day - one is implementing healthcare and one keeps our country safe. So I think women and all ethnicities will be well represented."

And if that wasn't reassurance enough, Gibbs said, "He lives in a house with three remarkably strong women. He doesn't need to read the newspaper to know what it's like to be around very strong women."