This is how the game is played. If they didn't mean it it would come out in the Friday news cycle. Now all the talking heads will be shinning a light on what Clintoid did and the WH can say sorry about that we really didn't mean it the way it was said.
This is 100% planned to spotlight clintoon and don't think it's not !
You're spot on. If the retraction had come out tomorrow, it would have been an egg on your face moment, but the Bushies are ahead of the news cycle by getting the apology in on the same day that the story first aired. Then they waited until late that day to do the mea culpa, ensuring the story had already generated some play before that put their punctuation mark on it.
No way was this just a casual remark that Ari made off the cuff. No way.
Simple rule -- Never (ever) mention 42 again.