Blame (Reporters For Not Knowing Enough About) Canada

Rachel Sklar – a Canadian — is none too happy about an exchange on yesterday’s “Hardball.” She writes:

There were more than a few chuckles during Tuesday’s GOP debate when Chris Matthews quizzed Fred Thompson on who the Prime Minister of Canada was — a ridiculously easy question and one which, as it turned out, even Thompson knew the answer to. … Should a seasoned internet-trolling-C-SPAN-addicted- Drudge-scanning-five-newspaper-per-day-reading news junkie of a political reporter not know this stuff like breathing?

Apparently not, according to Washington Post national political correspondent Dan Balz on last night’s “Hardball,” where Chris Matthews made reference to his Thompson question and asked his guests — Balz, NBC White House correspondend David Gregory and Bloomberg’s Margaret Carlson — for their thoughts on the political relevance of knowing about the country’s fine and frigid neighbors to the North. “Dan Balz,” said Matthews, “were you surprised he knew the question or surprised that I asked it?” Said Balz, a veteran political reporter of almost 30-years: “I can only tell you, Chris, in the press room, most reporters were relieved you didn’t ask any of us.” Whaaaaaaaat?

Read the rest here.

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