Robert Gibbs explains the difference between McCain's statement during the campaign that the fundamentals of the economy are "strong" and President Obama's recent statement that our economy is "fundamentally sound":
Reporter: "You're saying the differences [is] between the uses of the word sound versus the use of the word strong. Is that what you're saying?
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: "I certainly think that's one of them, yeah. Do I think there's a definitional difference between sound and strong? Absolutely."
Reporter: "Ok, the fundamentals are now not strong still. They're sound?"
Gibbs: "I think the fundamentals as Ms. Romer said are sound, that the President is taking steps each and every day to strengthen those fundamentals to ensure that the pillars that we need to turn our economy around, to create the jobs the President talked about, to give the middle-class finally a fair shake and to put ourselves on a path towards sustained economic growth is exactly what the President is focused on each and every day."
Reporter: "Using that phrase does not make the people now sound as out of touch as John McCain may have sounded with a slightly different, with a different word?"
Gibbs: "I don't think so."
