So the talking heads on MSNBC's "Hardball" are making a really big deal about the fact that Howard Dean, when "interviewed" by Tim Russert, was unable to name the exact number of American troops in Iraq on this particular day. "How embarrassing," they say.

Well, not as embarrassing as this: Shortly before the 2000 election, when asked to discuss the Taliban, George W. Bush didn't know what it was.

Those MSNBC guys have some really short memories.