Barack Obama's gaffe here, stating 10,000 people died in Kansas tornando's this past week, is astounding because of his lack of comprehension of what that figure means. The number is higher than deaths from the 9/11 attacks, Hurrican Katrina, and U.S. Iraq war casulties combined. When my high school son heard me play the video his first reaction was "did he say 10,000?!" Such a number of deaths in a single American tragedy would bring this country to a standstill; and yet it didn't phase the Senator when he spoke it, as it did my son listening from across the room.

The gaffe reveals a lack of awareness or "feel" for the scope of disasters in America. The kind of stuff the average person becomes familiar with as they read the paper, watch the news, and discuss events with friends at the water cooler. The Senator is from Illinois, which happens to be in the North end of Tornado Alley (I lived pretty close to the Illinois state line, in Indiana, and recall the tornado watches and warnings) - certainly the Chicago papers provided damage reports from the interior of the state. Does he read them? If he does, is he able to analyze and compare/contrast information?

I've remarked before of the ignorance displayed by Senator Obama. This extended campaign season doesn't seem to working in his favor but it does appear to be working in America's.