I stand by what I said.

Nobody blamed him FOR answering.

WHAT he said when he responded became a topic of conversation.

He's a candidate, for crying out loud. He *needs* to answer questions. It is precisely what he *should* be doing on the campaign trail.

He can't, however, expect that everyone is going to agree with his answers.

There are probably responses Obama could've given that wouldn't have caused a stir. He could've said, "Joe, I want to create an economic environment that allows people at all rungs of the ladder to have the fairest shot possible at making a decent living."

I'd say someone is at *fault* for answering when they've been arrested, read their rights, and blab on anyway without the presence of counsel. I'd think someone at *fault* when they're asked one thing but spill the beans about completely unrelated things just because they want to get the word out about something.

Again - it wasn't Obama's fault *for* answering anything. But the *answer* he chose to give was definitely an attention-getter.