Hey Kristen,
I watched the press conference on TV Monday morning from a cozy, warm place in Mexico.  I wonder what the local people who happened to be watching it thought.  I have to admit, I have the same reaction as you.  I have this reaction at work to.  Substituting "disappointment" for "mistake" is a very common corporate behavior, designed, I suppose, to cover your backside.  It is even part of our annual review process - "what were your successes and disappointments for the year?"  Kind of humorous, but you hit a key point that if you do not think of some "disappointments" as your mistake caused by your error in judgement for what ever reason, you deny yourself the opportunity to learn and grow.  Wouldn't it be great to hear our leaders say "I made this mistake ..., and I learned that ..."?  Maybe we'll start to see that more often.  I hope so.