If you’re old enough to remember or you studied it in a history class, Gerald Ford, in his debate with Jimmy Carter, made what many believe was a classic blunder. The media never let him or us forget it:

Ford incorrectly stated that Poland was “independent and autonomous” from the Soviet Union, though at the time the Soviet Union dominated Poland and much of Eastern Europe. When pressed, instead of reconsidering, Ford responded more firmly that “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under a Ford administration.” Ford’s misstatements were considered a major factor in his loss to Carter, and are cited again every four years as among the worst gaffes made in any televised political debate.

Now we have daily-gaff-prone Joseph Biden saying that that the Taliban isn’t an enemy of the United States. If they’re not an enemy of the US, then they must be four friends. And the media hardly bat an eye. Here’s what the Vice President said:

“Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy. That’s critical. There is not a single statement that the president has ever made in any of our policy assertions that the Taliban is our enemy, because it threatens U.S. interests. If, in fact, the Taliban is able to collapse the existing government, which is cooperating with us in keeping the bad guys from being able to do damage to us, then that becomes a problem for us.”

So who’s trying to kill us? Who’s imposing Sharia law, denying women basic human rights, driving out Christians, burning churches, and beheading those who oppose them? “The Taliban engage in attacks against the civilian population. According to a report by the United Nations, the Taliban were responsible for 2,477 civilian casualties [in Afghanistan] (76 percent of all casualties) in the first six months of 2010.” Al Qaeda also supported the Taliban with regiments of imported fighters from Arab countries and Central Asia.

But they’re our friends?

Biden believes that if we place nice with the Taliban that in the future they will not continue to force their agenda and kill us if we get in their way.

You may recall that we supported Osama Bin Laden when he and his band of merry men were fighting the former Soviet Union. How well did that work out?