Obama provoked fury in the U.S. on Thursday by casually devoting less than a minute to the deaths of 295 people aboard a Malaysian airliner, as he began an often jokey 16-minute speech about the need to expand America's transportation infrastructure.
There are no confirmed American dead, although it was feared around the time the president made his remarks that as many as 23 U.S. citizens had perished.
Obama declared in Wilmington, Delaware that 'it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy,' but not before enthusiastically declaring that 'it is wonderful to be back in Delaware.
--- Flashback: Reagan Addresses Soviet Attack on Korean Airliner September 5, 1983
TWEETS:
"Listening to Obama's statement the airline tragedy, my mind went back to Reagan 31 years ago. How America's leaders have shrunk."-Daniel Hannan
"President Obama massively dropped the ball just now. 23 Americans killed and he says 'it looks like a terrible tragedy' then back to jokes?"
"Let me help, Mr President - it IS a terrible tragedy, and it's more probably mass murder of your citizens & many other nations' citizens."-Piers Morgan
http://youtu.be/AGone93skGo