Romney: "Oops"

I suppose this was inevitable, either by the sheer similarity between the names, or the fact that the Republican character assassination machine continues to crank away at reality:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — It was only a slip of the tongue, but it's hard not to notice when a presidential candidate is confused for the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.

Giving a speech before the Chamber of Commerce in Greenwood, South Carolina Tuesday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney invoked Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's name when he apparently meant to say Osama bin Laden.

“Actually, just look at what Osama — Barack Obama said just yesterday," Romney said, according to the Associated Press. "Barack Obama calling on radicals, jihadists of all different types, to come together in Iraq. That is the battlefield."

Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden called the remarks a "brief mix up."

“Gov. Romney simply misspoke," he said. "He was referring to the recently released audiotape of Osama bin Laden and misspoke when referencing his name."

Meanwhile, Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, said, "Apparently, Mitt Romney can switch names just as casually as he switches positions, but what's wrongheaded is continuing a misguided war in Iraq that has left America less safe.

"It's time to end the divisiveness and fear-mongering that is at the heart of Gov. Romney's campaign," he added.

In January, CNN made the same mistake, accidentally displaying a graphic that said "Where's Obama?" during a report on bin Laden. Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy also made the same slip in a 2005 speech.

Perhaps Mr. Romney has been reading too many conservative bloggers, who routinely write "B. Hussein Obama" when referring to the well-respected Democrat and, I might point out, dedicated Christian.

Of course, this is a veiled attempt at associating Obama with Saddam Hussein and, more generally, Muslims, who are filed in the GOP play book under "fear" and "hapless Americans." Conservatives have more trouble understanding cultural relativism than Rudy Giuliani had keeping his first three wives. Here's an idea: Why don't we dedicate the nearly $1 trillion we're using for Iraq to hunting down Osama Bin Laden, bring him to justice for murdering 3,000 Americans, stop bombing Muslims countries that had nothing to do with it, and then we can have just one measley presidential election without having to hear "9/11" repeated thousands of times, or candidates comparing each other to the most elusive and despicable terrorist alive.

Wouldn't it be nice.