Obama Eats His Words

(CBS/AP)– Barack Obama, caught up in the fervor of a campaign speech Tuesday, drastically overstated the Kansas tornadoes death toll, saying thousands had died.

“In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed,” Obama said in a 27-minute speech to 500 people packed into a sweltering art studio for a fundraiser.

The death toll was 12.

Obama mentioned the disaster in saying he had been told by the office of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that the state’s National Guard had been depleted by its commitment to the Iraq War. “Turns out that the National Guard in Kansas only had 40 percent of its equipment and they are having to slow down the recovery process in Kansas,” Obama said, his shirt sleeves rolled up and his head glistening with sweat. As he concluded his remarks a few minutes later, he appeared to realize his faux pas. “There are going to be times when I get tired. There are going to be times when I get weary. There are going to be times when I make mistakes,” he said. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said later that the senator meant to say “at least 10,” instead of 10,000. Whatever.