Anne Kornblut of The Washington Post didn’t hear what she wanted to hear from Sarah Palin yesterday at the deployment ceremony for Palin’s son, so she just made something up. Here’s how her story began:

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Sept. 11 — Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would “defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.”

The idea that Iraq shared responsibility with al-Qaeda for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, once promoted by Bush administration officials, has since been rejected even by the president himself. On any other day, Palin’s statement would almost certainly have drawn a sharp rebuke from Democrats, but both parties had declared a halt to partisan activities to mark Thursday’s anniversary.

Palin did nothing of the kind, as several online commentators have pointed out. Here’s Bill Kristol:

Kornblut’s interpretation of what Palin said is either stupid or malicious. Palin is evidently saying that American soldiers are going to Iraq to defend innocent Iraqis from al Qaeda in Iraq, a group that is related to al Qaeda, which did plan and carry out the Sept. 11 attacks. It makes no sense for Kornblut to claim that Palin is arguing here that Saddam Hussein’s regime carried out 9/11—obviously Palin isn’t saying that our soldiers are now going over to Iraq to fight Saddam’s regime. Palin isn’t linking Saddam to 9/11. She’s linking al Qaeda in Iraq to al Qaeda.

Here’s Raleigh’s Bob Owens:

Unless Kornblut buried the lede, Palin said precisely nothing about Saddam Hussein or his government at all or any roll they may have had in 9/11. Kornblut simply made that up, because she wanted Palin to say that.

When Palin referenced “…the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans,” is was an obvious reference to al Qaeda in Iraq, an offshoot of the parent al Qaeda organization that plotted and executed the 9/11 attacks, and while still funds and loosely controls the failing Iraqi branch.

After being bombarded by reader emails, the WaPo is now trying to back off the egregious take by Kornblut. Here’s how their second paragraph now reads:

The idea that the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein helped al-Qaeda plan the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a view once promoted by Bush administration officials, has since been rejected even by the president himself. But it is widely agreed that militants allied with al-Qaeda have taken root in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion.

What are we to think of this? Does Kornblut have trouble interpreting the English language? Are her analytical skills and logic so wanting that she makes this kind of incorrect leap? Whatever the reason, she blew it. And, from the Post’s quick changes to her story, her editors know it too.

However, the damage has been done, which may have been the goal in the first place. The first thing I heard on NC14 News this morning was that Sarah Palin tied 9/11 to Saddam Hussein in her speech yesterday.

MORE: Tom Maguire also weighs in:

Anne Kornblut of the WaPo was torn between duty and honor – report the truth, or smear Palin. Somewhat comically, she chose both [after the first pass came back from rewrite….]