Palin Says Talibani, Dionne Say Taliban

A BIASED media. Of course. Sarah Palin says Talibani. WPost hack EJ Dionne saya Taliban. Palin. Palini. Dionne. Donadoni. Let’s call the whole thing off…:

Just when you think the anti-Palin press has covered itself with enough shame, it sinks still lower. James Taranto has found a real howler:

A hilarious example of press bias against Palin occurred last Friday on “The Diane Rehm Show,” a production of Washington’s WAMU-FM. The exchange between hostess Rehm, caller Tom of Norwich, Vt., and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne begins at about 46:10 of the “10:00 News Roundup”:

Tom: I just wonder why not more has been made of the statement by Palin during the debate last night that “Maliki and the Talabani”–this is a quote from the transcript–”also in working with us are knowing again that we are getting closer and closer to the point of victory.” The Talibani obviously are our absolute enemy and have been since 9/11; Maliki, our central ally in Iraq. This to me is a tremendous blunder, revealing a very superficial familiarity with these sorts of terms.

Rehm: Thanks for calling, Tom. . . . E.J.?

Dionne: I think that “superficial” is absolutely the right word for the knowledge or the lack of knowledge Palin showed yesterday. I’m glad the caller raised that one, and I suspect there is going to be a scouring of that transcript for exactly that sort of gaffe. That has echoes of some of the stuff she said to Katie Couric.

There would have to be some mighty ferocious scouring to find a gaffe here other than Tom’s (who can be excused) and Dionne’s (who cannot). Even a lowly blogger like me knows the difference between Talabani and the Taliban. As does Sarah Palin (scroll down to VP Debate at 9:42).

But evidently the news that Talabani is the President of Iraq hasn’t yet penetrated the infinitely superior and deep brain of the sagacious WaPo journalist Dionne.