When the news broke that Osama bin Laden was dead, killed by an attack authorized by President Barack Obama, it led to one of the more epic flubs in the history of local news.

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The fact that the president and the al-Qaeda leader's names have been confused is not a new phenemenon. Then again, until last night, it never turned a story into a meta-story.

WTTG news anchor Will Thomas was reporting on President Obama's announcement on the death of Osama Bin Laden. In the heat of the moment, this is what he actually said:

Yes, you heard it right.

"President Obama, speaking from the East Room of the White House, telling the nation and the world President Obama is, in fact, dead...."

Now, we don't mean to pick on Thomas. Far from it. Many people, from other news anchors to bloggers to Rep. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) have confused the two in some way, shape or form. It's happened before, and it will happen again.  On a day with such meloncholy, it's a welcome break to enjoy the absurdity of a news anchor reporting that the President of the United States announced to the world that he was, in fact, dead.

When asked about the flub, WTTG News Director Phil Metlin said, "No comment." When asked whether the station had had a post-mortem discussion with the anchor, Metlin responded, "I don't have any comment."

(h/t to Mediate)