Pogue replied, "A: Well, it does seem like a silly glitch. But I’m not sure even I could convince Microsoft to release a new version of Microsoft Office software just to correct a single entry in the spelling dictionary. But if it helps, here you go: How about it, Microsoft?"

I asked a Microsoft spokeswoman the same question, and, as Pogue's commenters have already noted, newer and updated versions of Office (the software suite that includes Word and, in some versions, Outlook) recognize the word.

Here's the official explanation via e-mail from the spokeswoman:

"Microsoft actually updates the standard dictionary regularly. The behavior was seen by the user not because there was logic in Office or the Office spell checker specifically targeted towards the word 'Obama' to change it to 'Osama.' Instead, the spell checker just didn’t have 'Obama' in its dictionary, so it tried to provide alternative suggestions based on closest match. The same thing happens if you type 'Okama' or 'Ogama.' We consider a number of factors when updating our content, including user feedback, frequency of the words in market area publications, and the first names of public figures whose last names have been added."

She said the latest versions of the Office do include "Obama." Details on getting free updates, including the latest dictionaries, are here for Office 2007 SP1 and here for Office 2003.

Another solution, which many Pogue commenters suggested, is right-clicking the word the spell checker does not recognize, and then clicking Add to Dictionary.