Free-ish Speech

So this is the following chain of events:

1) Alberto Fernandez, director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Near East Affairs of the U.S. State Department, made the following comments on Saturday to the All-Jazeera.

"History will decide what role the United States played, and God willing, we tried to do our best in Iraq. But I think there is a big possibility ... for extreme criticism and because undoubtedly there was arrogance and stupidity from the United States in Iraq," the diplomat told Al-Jazeera.

2) The Bush administration comments on his comments:

I can only assume his remarks must have been mistranslated. Those comments obviously don't reflect our policy," a senior Bush administration official said.[CNN]

3) By Monday Alberto Fernandez issues a press release via the State Department with the following:

"Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al-Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase 'there has been arrogance and stupidity' by the U.S. in Iraq. This represents neither my views nor those of the State Department. I apologize." [U.S. StateDept.]

Well at least it's free-ish, I mean it really sounds like Fernandez issued that press release of his own free will to save his job. You see rogue nations of the world this is how hypocrisy is done in first-rate countries, please take notes.