03:51 Aug 11, 2011 

Saving face is a great option! I was thinking of backpedaling...

00:51 Aug 11, 2011 

@ Rocio, I thought about "undo the blunder/mistake" too; however, it seems they don't want to admit they've made a mistake and they're trying to "save face" as Charles said. If they're undoing or resolving their mistake openly, it would imply they were cooperating and this doesn't seem to be the case.

00:45 Aug 11, 2011 

"Sacar la pata" is in the DRAE, as a synonym of "enseñar la pata", meaning "Descubrir a alguien las intenciones que quería mantener en secreto.". So it is translated in the Collins dictionary as "to give oneself away". However, it cannot mean that here.

"Sacar la pata" is also found as a reversal of "meter la pata": in other words, rectifying a mistake, taking measures to counteract the criticism provoked by a preceding "metedura de pata". By extension, it can have the sense of "damage limitation", or "saving face", as in the following, a response to official excuses for reversing a decision to close an art gallery: "Aquí no hubo malentendido, que digan eso es hipocresía política y una manera de sacar la pata." So I think Steve's answer is probably about right.