"Gabby Giffords WAS a friend of mine"?

[Zebedeo]

Pres. Obama just said. WTF? She is still alive. Why wouldn't she still be his friend?

[MadBadger]

1. He misspoke, he used the present tense every time after that.

[phleshdef]

2. Its really unwise to overanalyze words like that when people are dealing with stuff like this.

I'm sure he meant "is" and no one one their right mind would think otherwise.

[beyurslf]

3. He seemed to make a very conscious effort after that to use "IS" and now was.

I imagine some staffer is going to get ripped for writing was on there.

[Zebedeo]

13. Are you implying that the President

did not even read this very short address before mounting the podium? That his reading of it off the TeleprompTer was the first time he had seen the words? Why couldn't he be bothered to take 30 seconds to read the text of the address before speaking it aloud?

[beyurslf]

17. I am sure he read it beforehand but it is easy to miss one small word.

Are you implying the president wanted her dead and willed it so by using past tense once in the speech?

[Zebedeo]

18. No I believe his use of the past tense

was highly insensitive in this context. And if you are correct that he didn't even pay attention to the words of his speech before reading it aloud in a prepared address broadcast to the whole world, then I believe he acted with negligence and/or callous indifference.

[ewagner]

4. my guess...

they wrote the speech earlier when all the news outlets were reporting she had died and they simply didn't edit it out....

Obama caught it and was very careful thereafter.

[malaise]

5. Maybe he knows exactly how critical she is

:cry:

[Drale]

6. He may have just misspoke, it happens to the best of us.

[ClusterFreak]

7. I know whenever I receive terrible news I am totally composed.

And never ever fumble my words.

Give me a break.

Give the President one, too.

[Zebedeo]

10. This was a PREPARED speech being READ

NOT a contemporaneous comment at a press conference. There was no reason to use the past tense about Rep. Giffords. No excuse.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Zebedeo]

12. A jab at Obama??

He just spoke of a woman fighting for her life in the past tense in a prepared speech that he was reading. You can make excuses for that level of insensitivity, but I will not.

[bluestateguy]

8. Obama makes gaffes too

Unless he knows something we don't.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[uppityperson]

14. I've had people be friends in the past, and they're not dead

X was a friend of mine, back when I lived in (pick a state). We haven't had contact for yrs, but she was my friend.

[OhioChick]

15. I caught that as well....

He seemed a bit shaken.
He seemed to pick up on his mistake, quickly changing to "is."

[pinto]

16. I assume it was a slip of the tongue. And assume it's been pretty hectic day for all officials...

:shrug:

[SoCalDem]

19. and the speech may have been written when reports said she had died

and then hastily had words changed from past to present tense.. they missed one..

[garybeck]

20. When did he make the speech? CNN originally reported she was dead.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-537721