I saw a link on Instapundit to Bob Herbert's New York Times column on Republican ignorance. It doesn't look like the left is going to give up on this meme any time soon. Reading Herbert's piece, I have to admit I am a little bit confused. He refers to the PIPA survey:

A recent survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland found that nearly 70 percent of President Bush's supporters believe the U.S. has come up with "clear evidence" that Saddam Hussein was working closely with Al Qaeda. A third of the president's supporters believe weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. And more than a third believe that a substantial majority of world opinion supported the U.S.-led invasion.

Where did he get these numbers?!? The report is right here. "nearly 70 percent of President Bush's supporters believe the U.S. has come up with 'clear evidence' that Saddam Hussein was working closely with Al Qaeda." Well, if you count 63 percent as nearly 70 percent. "And more than a third believe that a substantial majority of world opinion supported the U.S.-led invasion." More than a third? How is 26% more than a third?

But these points are mere trifles. By now we've come to expect New York Times columnists to stretch the numbers when they've got a point to prove. But the third error is unforgivable. "A third of the president's supporters believe weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq." This question wasn't even on the survey. Where did it come from? Perhaps he is refering to the 47 percent of bush supporters who believe that Iraq had actual weapons of mass destruction (an entirely different question).

Can somebody tell me what this man is talking about? Is there another PIPA report? I certainly hope there is. I would hate to think that such agregious errors made their way into the "paper of record". I mean they do have fact checkers at The New York Times who get paid to do things like... check facts. Right?