"Come on, he never "claimed" that 10,052 soldiers had died in Iraq. It was a simple misstatement that he corrected IMMEDIATELY. It's easy to see that he thought there was an extra 0 in there when he read the question."
Not buying that. A sixth grader can read a four-digit number easily, and so can Lehrer. Just plant a little seed that some people will glom on to.
Oh please. Really grasping at straws here to blame someone for last night. If the Twins lose, I can say they lost without needing to justify it. No need to dwell on it for longer than a few minutes before it's time to start thinking about the next game.
Go read a chapter of your favorite book, and see if you read every word precisely.
Bingo! I'm with you. Lehrer is way too old to have been dumbed down by the social rejects of the NEA.
Funny how these "innocent" mistakes never go the other way.