Another Biden gaffe ...

CNSNews.com
White House: ‘Vice President Misrepresented What the Vice President Meant’
Friday, May 01, 2009
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

What Vice President Joe Biden meant and what he actually said about traveling and the swine flu are two different things, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told a somewhat snickering press room on Thursday.

The explanation came after Biden, on NBC’s “Today” show, said that in light of concerns over the swine flu, he would not travel in “confined places,” such as an airplane or the subway.

That goes beyond the precautionary measures cited by President Barack Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – all of whom have advised people to wash their hands and to cover their mouth if coughing and nose if sneezing.

“If you’re out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes, that’s one thing,” Biden told co-anchor Matt Lauer on “Today.” “If you’re in a closed aircraft, or closed container, or closed car or closed classroom, it’s a different thing.”

When asked what he would advise his own family members to do if they were traveling by commercial airline to Mexico, Biden said: “I would tell members of my family – and I have – I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now.”

“It’s not that he’s going to Mexico – it’s that you're in a confined aircraft and one person sneezes, it goes all the way through the aircraft,” Biden said. “That's me. I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway."

Fielding questions about Biden’s comments, Gibbs said that the vice president was not departing from the Obama administration’s advice to the country.

“I think what the vice president meant to say was the same thing that many members have said in the last few days,” said Gibbs, “and that is, if you feel sick, if you are exhibiting symptoms, flu-like symptoms, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, then you should take precautious, then you should limit your travel.”

ABC reporter Jake Tapper then said, “With all due respect, and I sympathize with you trying to explain the vice president’s comments, that’s not even remotely close to what he said.”

Gibbs responded, “I understood what he said. I’m telling you what he meant to say.”

This prompted loud laughter through the press room as Gibbs maintained a straight face.
snip~~~

The statement continued, “If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways. This is the advice the Vice President has given family members who are traveling by commercial airline this week. As the President said just last night, every American should take the same steps you would take to prevent any other flu: keep your hands washed; cover your mouth when you cough; stay home from work if you're sick; and keep your children home from school if they're sick.”

During his appearance on NBC’s “Today,” Biden did not say that he recommended against traveling only for family members who are sick. One reporter asked Gibbs if the statement from Alexander “misrepresented what the vice president had to say.”

Gibbs answered, “I think the vice president misrepresented what the vice president meant to say.”

“If somebody is experiencing symptoms – you heard the president say this last night – if somebody is experiencing symptoms, feeling sick or somebody is exhibiting symptoms of being sick then they should then they should take all necessary precautions possible,” Gibbs told reporters.

“Obviously, if anybody was unduly alarmed for whatever reason, we would apologize to that. I hope that my remarks and the remarks of the people at the CDC and Secretary Napolitano appropriately cleared up what he meant to say,” he said.