At this moment the White House is holding a live press conference to explain the remarks that Vice President Joe Biden made this morning on the Today Show. He basically advised that Americans would be wise to avoid being enclosed in a pressurized cabin like an airplane with infected people coughing and sneezing around you.
That makes sense.
As you can imagine, the airlines and the travel association folks are baring their fangs at Biden and demanding some kind of retraction. They don’t want you to stop flying because obviously their major concern is stockpiling as much cash as they can until their passengers literally start dropping like flies on their planes.
Ezra Klein of The American Prospect writes:
But here’s the thing: Biden may be right to induce a bit of panic. The United States Travel Association won’t think so. It’s their profit stream on the line, after all. But epidemiologists are probably quietly relieved by the Vice President’s comments. … The absolute best case is that Joe Biden did something that’s so effective that he looks really stupid. READ MORE…
One of the prez’s aides that went on the Mexico trip with him has swine flu … or his family has swine flu.
An advisory has been issued to anyone who was on that trip. So much pre-intelligence (CIA) reporting.
Hmmm.. I hope that isn’t an omen of some kind. Obama goes to Mexico and now the country is in shambles and has to shut down.
@sunny the aide is being tested for the swine flu but the aide has since recovered. Which makes no sense to me but that’s what the story said that I read.
I saw his interview on the TODAY show this morning.
I always grab my popcorn when I know Joe Biden is getting ready to speak– he never fails to entertain!!!
Funny how liberals were up in arms at the idea of Sarah Palin being Vice President of the United States when a true-to-life DITZ is currently holding that position anyway.
I take the bus to work every day. I say a prayer before I get on and wash my hands when I get off.
@Anti Palin had people in her own party not feeling her as well. She is an air head who can see Russia from her house..LOL Palin has no book or common sense. At least Joe has some brains. I still dont know how the ppl of Alaska elected her as Gov being as ditzy as she is. In any case are you saying you would be ok with Palin as your President?
Biden has stuck is foot in his mouth before but in this case I don’t see anything wrong with what he said.
I think Joe answered the question “if you had to advise your family what would you say” or something along those lines. He did not say all Americans should avoid flying… but like you I agree! I once contracted pneumonia on a long haul flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta, sitting next to a man who didn’t want to cover his damn mouth every time he coughed during the 9+ hour flight.
And didn’t Biden say that it was HIS personal opinion in regards to his family? That HE didn’t want HIS family to fly on planes?
damn sandra, did we watch the same interview? b/c biden said no such thing.
Do people really need to hear statements from an official to be panicky and alert about a pandemic? The first time it was announced, I was disinfecting my househould and staying away from folks coughing and sneezing.
You can catch TB the same way. Now that we have a flu going around and killing people, it is almost common sense and smart not to be in compact spaces where one person can sneeze and it spreads to everybody..duh.
I didnt need to hear Biden say anything to make this situation personal to me.