Vice President Joe Biden’s office has had to issue a type of retraction after Biden advised people to avoid airplanes, subways and confined spaces due to the Swine Flu. Of course, you cannot just retract a vice presidential statement, so Biden’s office simply denied what Biden said and offered a new statement that he did not make.

Biden stated on NBC’s Today Show “I would tell members of my family — and I have — that I wouldn’t go anywhere in confined places now.”

The office with two hours was issuing a statement that Biden was speaking of travel to Mexico. Of course, the Administration is saying to avoid Mexico entirely and not just go and avoid confined places. Yet, his office stated “On the Today Show this morning, the vice president was asked what he would tell a family member who was considering air travel to Mexico this week,. The advice he is giving family members is the same advice the administration is giving to all Americans: that they should avoid unnecessary air travel to and from Mexico. If they are sick, they should avoid airplanes and other confined public spaces, such as subways.”

Of course, there is the problem of Biden saying “Its not just going to Mexico, if you’re in a confined aircraft and one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. That’s me. I would not be at this point, if they had another way of transportation, suggesting they ride the subway.” That is indeed you, Joe.

The fact is that I like Biden because he is straightforward. I have no doubt at all that he has told his family to avoid airplanes and subways. That might not be pleasing to the airline industry, but the spin from Biden’s office as a bit of a Soviet touch to it. Just say that the Administration does not support that view rather than destroy credibility but asking citizens if they are going to believe the government or their own ears.

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