When the “Eisenstadt source” aspect of the Palin/Africa story broke, I thought that the revelation was exactly as you describe it here: that the hoax was Eisenstadt’s claim of being the source, *not* that Eisenstadt had created & planted the claim that Palin didn’t know if Africa was a continent or a country.

However, once the Eisenstadt claim was debunked, general consensus seemed to be that ol’ Marty had made whole thing up. The fact that no one appeared to follow up or clarify the story line was, I believe, likely due to the fact that the dominant media appear to be stunningly uninterested in clarifying matters that (a) call attention to their ineptitude and (b) don’t involve loud noises, shiny objects, or runaway balloons that may or may not contain six-year-olds. Also, considering the virtual deluge of revelations that confirmed the suspicion that Palin is, indeed, a moron, the Africa story got lost in the shuffle among the many other “real” stories.

All that said, though, the unwillingness or inability to clarify what was and was not hoax material is, to me, just one more example of “unimportant” matters being overlooked or brushed under the proverbial rug in the rush to get to the next big story. And while big stories and big-picture issues are important, the media’s habit of ignoring the little stuff feels a lot like an architect deciding to design a building by focusing only on the facade, while wasting no time on the boring details that no one will see (but which are responsible for keeping the structure upright & intact).

Again, thanks for this and the many other efforts you make to ensure that someone is paying attention to the little details. Heckuva post for a Sunday afternoon.

(I wonder if I can spin the one season I spent as an assistant coach on my kid’s soccer team as executive experience?)

The bias liberal media will start attacking me soon. They can’t deal with an independent minded maverick who knows the difference between a continent and a country. Katie Couric will be disappointed when she pops her trick question about Australia. I’m not afraid of her, anyway. I’ve defended myself against bears attacking my helicopter.