Basic Geography

We were referred to an article in the National Review Online that listed a number of supposed Barack Obama gaffes including the following:

“Explaining last week why he was trailing Hillary Clinton in Kentucky, Obama again botched basic geography: “Sen. Clinton, I think, is much better known, coming from a nearby state of Arkansas. So it’s not surprising that she would have an advantage in some of those states in the middle.” On what map is Arkansas closer to Kentucky than Illinois?”

I have to argue with author Michelle Malkin, who describes herself on her web site as Philly-born, South Jersey-raised and living near Washington DC. In my experience, people with that resume shouldn’t presume to lecture others on geography. Some facts about the proximity of Kentucky to Arkansas and Illinois:

It’s 72 miles from Piggott, Arkansas to Hickman, Kentucky.

It’s 298 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Louisville, Kentucky.

Yes, it’s true that that Kentucky and Illinois share a short border across the Ohio River on the Northwest corner of Kentucky and the southeastern tip of Illinois. But you will also find that Hillary Clinton won that part of Illinois too. That’s not Barack Obama’s Illinois.