I am cracking up. Over the past week, the President of Miami University in Oxford, OH, and the Vice President of the United States have both made some pretty stupid geographic mistakes. In Oxford, an art display that included nooses and a tire swing was quickly taken down after it was suggested that it was related to the Jena Six travesty. President Hodge, in an email sent to the entire Miami University population, essentially told students that they should be ashamed of their ignorance of the events in Jena, Mississippi. There’s just one problem with his statement. It happened in Jena, Louisiana, not Mississippi. If President Hodge is going to patronize his students, he should double-check his facts.

Vice President Dick Cheney was criticizing Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, saying that Chavez spends too much time worrying about the United States and not enough time thinking about his own country. According to Cheney, “The people of Peru, I think, deserve better in their leadership.” Um, Mr. Vice President, Peru is about 500 miles south of Venezuela. I know what you mean, but I really think the Vice President of the United States should know who leads what other countries. It’s kind of a big part of the job.