# Dan Rather refers to Barack Obama as "Osama bin Laden"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [July 19, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060 "2008-07-19T17:21:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060/1 "2008-07-19T17:21:52Z")

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Dan Rather goes totally senile … scroll halfway down and view the video [on this web site](http://5onfive.blogspot.com/) .

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**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060/2 "2008-07-19T17:27:30Z")

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Heh. Time to move to florida and take up golf.

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060/3 "2008-07-19T17:29:50Z")

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Eh, it’s been done before by other journalists.

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**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060/4 "2008-07-19T17:34:47Z")

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[QUOTE=featherlou]  
Eh, it’s been done before by other journalists.  
[/QUOTE]  
Really? The whole name? As opposed to just making the mistake of saying “Osama”?

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**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dan-rather-refers-to-barack-obama-as-osama-bin-laden/457060/5 "2008-07-19T17:42:45Z")

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Well, now you’ve got me wondering - I thought she said the whole name, but I think you might be right. BRB - yup, you’re right, Trotta just said Osama, not the full name.

The funny part of Dan Rather’s speech was him saying, “You have to be prepared for anything you say to be on the front pages the next day.”