(Newser)
–
Michele Bachmann got a little mixed up today, claiming on Fox News Sunday that NATO airstrikes have killed as many as 30,000 civilians in Libya. She was railing against the “foolishness” of President Obama’s decision to get involved in Libya at the time, The Raw Story reports. Obama “said he wanted to go in for humanitarian purposes and overnight we are hearing that potentially 10 to 30,000 people could have been killed in the strike,” she said. Chris Wallace quickly questioned her numbers, but Bachmann stood her ground, citing “the Tripoli ambassador.”
“You mean the Libyans? You think Moammar Gadhafi is a reliable person?” he responded. “I don't think anyone thinks that,” she said. “The point of what I'm saying is that we are seeing many, many lives lost. Including innocent civilians' lives.” Wallace later corrected her, explaining that she was apparently referring to a statement by the US Ambassador to Libya that put the total number killed in Libya at 10,000 to 30,000, which includes those killed by fighting between the rebels and Gadhafi’s forces. Perhaps Bachmann’s confusion can be attributed to this little tidbit: Politico notes that she once again tried to explain her March gaffe (read about it here) today: “After that I promised I never again will use President Barack Obama's teleprompter, and I intend to keep it that way.”
