Oops! CNN Mixes Up Obama And Osama

Cable News Network Apologizes For Headline That Confuses Illinois Senator With Terror Kingpin

(AP)  CNN apologized Tuesday for mistakenly promoting a story on the search for Osama bin Laden with the headline "Where's Obama?"

A spokesman for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the apology was accepted.

The blunder came Monday evening on Wolf Blitzer's news show, "The Situation Room." Both Soledad O'Brien and Blitzer offered separate apologies during CNN's morning show on Tuesday.

CNN called it a "bad typographical error" by its graphics department.

"We want to apologize for that bad typo," Blitzer said. "We also want to apologize personally to Sen. Barack Obama. I'm going to be making a call to him later this morning to offer my personal apology."

Tommy Vietor, Obama's press secretary, said he appreciated the bloggers and activists who brought the error to light so quickly and helped make sure it was corrected.

"Though I'd note that the 's' and 'b' keys aren't all that close to each other, I assume it was just an unfortunate mistake and don't think there was any truly malicious intent," Vietor said.

[jonw1115]

Oh please! This is free press for Obama. It makes you wonder if it were a mistake at all. Anything to get your name out there!

[cbgb31]

Right. More media horing

[bill1fj]

I've heard that the people in IL have often said
"Where's Obama".

[grazinggoat]

This is a great error. Obama is running into big trouble because of some media players who are trying to portray him as a terrorist because of the muslim tradition of his Kenyan African roots. This joke is not funny, and quite detrimental to Obama's fair running to Democrat's Leadership. It's good to know that a huge chunk of the African-Americans ascendants (First slaves brought to America by Europeans) belonged to the Muslim faith.

[jonw1115]

grazinggoat,

Please notice the advertising links for Obama next to this article. You can't tell me he isn't getting some good press for this. I am sure his chances for the presidency are not hurt anymore than before this blunder. At least Kerry didn't tell do this, no telling where that would have went!

[grazinggoat]

jonw1115,
quite sure it's coming from the GOPs. Painting the Democrats as Party that allows minorities to stick in and express their views regardless to National Security.

Nowadays, Islam is not very well reputed as a religion in the American media. In other words, CNN is tagging Obama as a 'threat to a traditionally-christian country'.

Can you see the link now ?

[huskerarmy]

jonw1115,

Do you have any evidence at all that it was not simply a mistake or is that sheer hateful, mindless speculation on your part? And why would Obama need to do something like this on purpose when the GOPer racists have already been playing around with the similarity of names? See bil1fj's post above "Where is Obama?"

[agnim]

Mistake my arse.

That mischievious person who typed in the word knew or should have known exactly what he was doing!

[jn122736]

I'm reminded of an old saying; the only thing worse for a Politian than bad press is no press. Come to think of CNN isn%u2019t doing too bad here either.

[jn122736]

"Come to think of CNN isn%u2019t doing too bad here either."

Oops I left out the it in my sentence even though I proof read it.

Just goes to show that when you proof read your own material you generally read what you thought you had written.

[jonw1115]

Just saying there is no such thing as bad press. In no way is my post hateful, I would say the same thing regardless of the person's political affiliation. I will leave it up to you conspiracy theorists to spin it further and blame the GOP.

[Syndicate]

Any one of us here could do a better job than the people who write this stuff. If we want to invent conspiracy theories this is mine. This was a conspiracy between Obamma's campaing and CNN. Cnn agreed to slam Obama in a very offensive way. Then CNN would apolagize on air. Wait it gets better then Obama with every right to be mad as all hell, graciously accepts the apology. His star rises.

[comfortmd1]

it took a court order for cnn and wolf blitzer to stop calling foley a democrat, when he had been a republican his entire life. i wouldn't be surprised if this was merely another attempt on cnn's part to demonize democrats yet again.

[cmayes2]

This was not a blunder, but deliberate. I hope Senator obama can take the heat.

[cbgb31]

Sounds about right,CBScrash. Aren't you sick of being played by the media?

[lucasnico]

you usually have to tune in fox to get such a misguided slant

[thewhiteman4]

Why is everyone thinking that Barack Obama was insulted. Is he the only one in the world named Obama. He lays sole claim to the name Obama. Everyone named Obama should hold a news conference and accept the apology of CNN.

[jlmcscanner]

This is just a bunch of bull, Obama is just a modern version of Jesse Jackson circa 1988, all the media hype is for nothing.I will say however Obama does have a real career unlike Jesse (What does he do for a living??? Has he ever had a real job ???).The logistics of this make it almost impossible as we all know people vote to people that look like they do, that`s just a fact not a good one but a fact.I predict he will do well early then the Democratic parties attack dogs will marginalize him and he can at best get 10% to 15% of the Democratic parties votes.

[johangelo123]

Obama is indeed a very rear breed. Such class in not going off the cuff for a seemingly intentional comment. He accepted the apology and as a direct result showed the quality of a true man. I will vote for him in an instant. Obama has what it takes! He has that spiritual intangible.

[bildooreilly]

Obama better be looking for another job because he'll never get re-elected in Illinois... Talk about a worthless piece of ***... he gets elected then goes and writes two books and travels around africa and then goes around speaking in various other states, I'm still wondering when he'll ever get around to doing the job he was elected for.... The only reason he won is because his opponent was Alan Keyes and he was the lightest skinned black on the ballot and that's the sad truth....

[bluestardad]

Where is Osama Bin Laden? Did the Saudis tell the Bush Administration hands off him?

[huskerarmy]

"This is just a bunch of bull, Obama is just a modern version of Jesse Jackson...
people vote to people that look like they do, that`s just a fact."

jlmscanner,

You, whiteman and bildooreilly may think that way but, Obama is very popular on this side of the isle. And in case you can't see it, the Dems will not need to marginalize Obama since they will have so many bigoted GOPers doing it. Jesse Jackson? Humm, I understand why you want to make the comparison but shame, shame. Do you have any idea how tired all this reactionary GOPer code is?

[huskerarmy]

"I'm reminded of an old saying; the only thing worse for a Politian than bad press is no press."

That's right... Obama draws huge crowds everywhere he goes and he needs to fabricate a story like this in order to get press? Are you bigots so intellectually lazy now days that your attacks don't have to show even a pretense of reason?

[huskerarmy]

"Obama better be looking for another job because he'll never get re-elected in Illinois..."
If I were a betting man, I'd jump all over that bet.
"Talk about a worthless piece of ***..."
Coming from someone names Oreilly, I'd say that bodes well for Obama.

[karateman39]

Who really cares? It's just a stupid story that should never have seen the light of day. If this affects the way people think and vote and read into this to much then they need help.

[kailumego1]

Fartknocker, are you still torned over your brother's [Ted Bundy]execution, is that why you have developed "DEMENTIA", and confused between the two. I hope you heal real soon, after all, your brother Ted Bundy was executed some 15+ years ago.