Right-Wingers, Reporters Make Up Biden "Bosniac" Gaffe

TPM noted last night that Joe Biden used a word that would probably be misinterpreted as a gaffe:

Watching the debate I noticed that Biden referred to the Muslim population of Bosnia and Herzegovina as "Bosniaks". This is actually the correct term, though in English people often say simply Bosnian Muslims. When he said it, the first thing I though was, I wonder how many right-wingers would jump on this as a gaffe on the model of candidate George W. Bush's reference to 'Grecians.'

Democracy Arsenal has more on the term's use.

Red State fell for it. So did Powerline and Mona Charen at the National Review.

Journalists at the Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer got it wrong too. As did Cokie Roberts:

Comments

[ajaye]

Cokie is "in the tank" for McCain. I've never heard her say one good thing about Obama, and she sure was hellbent to find some false equivalency between Palin's gaffes and Biden's.

When I heard that I said, it doesn't sound right. But I said, well, maybe it's correct. I wouldn't open my mouth about something like that in front of an audience of millions without knowing for sure that I was correct.

So, she's wrong factually.
She's wrong in judgment.
She's wrong not to issue an apology.

I don't have much respect for her anymore.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

How stupid do those pundits look. Don't you all want a VP who is smarter than the pundits? I know I do.

[JiminNC]

The fishing is good in October! Nice catch Joe. Are they all legal size? Too bad Rush got away.

[Gary47]

So all the media outlets, and Cokie are busy issuing public apologies and corrections, right?

[sociocanuck]

I'm reminded of the time I sent a wingnut a link from a French article about 'Irak', and his immediate response was "that's not how it's spelled..."

[TerrapinCB]

It's Irak if you are a Turk.

while in Arabic Iraq is the most used term.

[LizM]

I have a little news flash for you... self-deluded right-wingers and incompetent journalists and reporters have been creating "Biden gaffes" out of whole cloth for a very, very, very long time. They have quite successfully, in fact, manufactured an entire national myth of epic proportions about Senator Biden that have largely been taken up - hook, line and sinker - by a majority of the electorate.

[masha2008]

just proves that the right has been intellectually left behind.

[HHarvey]

That's hilarious. I wonder if Joe planted that seed, makes you wonder. LOL!

[Gary47]

Just being his easy-going massively intelligent self. It's such an easy way to trip up fools.

[fbwap]

How many times did Palin say "nucular" during the debate?

[Cybesq]

I am sure that one day scientists will discover some odd quirk of nature which suggests that an individual's inability to pronounce the word "nuclear" is some genetic marker for stubbornness and an inability to learn.

I think Palin may be intentionally mispronouncing words and using her fake folksy accent in order to endear herself to Joe six pack (her base). Just like Bush, born and raised in Connecticut using his affected fake Texas accent.

[vegas9999]

If you go to factcheck.com you will see all of Biden's gaffes.

[HateLieCheatKillRepubWay]

vegas9999,
You will see Palin's lies at www.factcheck.org too, no?

[LizM]

factcheck.com? ... you've gotta be freakin' kidding me! They wouldn't know a real gaffe if a real gaffe stepped and knocked them up side the head.

[GerryS]

Did anyone catch mittens calling Joe, "O Biden"? She did it at least twice. ;-)

[cnobody]

that was funny. they cut to joe (at least on msnbc) and he was laughing at that.

[Cybesq]

She just got a little mixed up. She was thinking about O Biden meeting with former press secretary McClellan, just before he was made a General in Afghanistan.

[Neemni]

Well, Cokie is simply not the brightest candle is she now?

[pjburns11]

Palin went beyond folksy. Fellas, I think she was flirting with us!

http://thetruthburns.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/was-palin-flirting-with-every-man-in-the-us-or-just-me/

[drzoon]

Cokie is a "straight" Ferraro!

uterus centric!

[jjdnyc]

Coke Roberts - hahahahahaha. You smug dolt. It is one thing to make a mistake - but its is another entirely to erroneously and publicly mock another's alleged mistake when it turns out THEY WERE RIGHT. This is typical Robert's. As her colleague Mr Will might say, she frequently substitutes vehemence for coherence.