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President Gets A Little Mixed Up In Speech

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 14, 2008

PARIS - Civil War. Cold War.

Perhaps weary of travel, President Bush said one thing but meant the other Friday.

Five days into his farewell tour of Europe, Bush made several verbal stumbles in a speech billed by the White House as the centerpiece of his trip.

Talking about U.S. efforts to promote democracy and reforms around the world, Bush referred in one sentence to the North American Initiative and the Forum for Freedom. Wrong on two counts.

He should have said North Africa Initiative and the Forum for the Future.

The most noticeable blooper came when Bush spoke about the long, deep ties between the United States and France.

"And over the centuries," the president said, "our nations stood united in moments of testing - from the Marne to Omaha Beach to the long vigil of the Civil War." Of course, he meant Cold War.

The White House dutifully noted each mistake in the official transcript of Bush's remarks. There was an asterisk in the text next to each wrong word, and then an explanation at the bottom.

The Associated Press

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