I’m not great Obama supporter, but I’m puzzled what some people think he did wrong in this instance.
He had a reasonable expectation that the microphones had been turned off (though maybe in light of this they should start taking them off manually just in case) and was speaking confidentially to another head of state about a man everyone knows to be a thorn in the side of the rest of the world. Sarkozy’s statement may have been over the top (or maybe not; we don’t know exactly what he was talking about), but Obama’s reply was perfectly appropriate as far as I can tell, and according to the report they quickly got down to business on other issues; it wasn’t just a gossip-fest about one of their least favorite people. Surely it’s a good thing if world leaders are able to speak candidly to each other, without the obfuscation they inevitably must give to the public.