Vice President Joe Biden is catching some grief over his swine flu comments on television: Vice President Joe Biden’s Remarks on Swine Flu Draw Criticism

The White House issued the following statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30th, 2009

Statement from Vice President Biden’s Spokesperson Elizabeth Alexander:

“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. 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.”

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Put it in some freakin’ perspective – he didn’t shoot someone in the face. Yeah, like Dick Cheney is somehow the gold standard.