WordPress Simple Tagging Import Problem

I cannot locate the source of this issue. Within the function 'tag2post' the function 'wp_add_post_tags returns' false. The parameters being fed into this function are $the_post and $the_tag, both of which seem to have no errors, and the correct types (an integer and a string). I have a feeling it may be an error somewhere in the file wp-includes/post.php, but have no way of verifying this. Below is an alternate tag2post function I used while attempting to debug this issue; it may be of use to someone.

function tag2post ( ) {
	global $wpdb;

	// get the tags and posts we imported in the last 2 steps
	$posts = get_option('stpimp_posts');

	// null out our results
	$tags_added = 0;
	//make a pretty scrollable boxy
	echo '<div style="height:300px;width:auto;overflow:scroll;">';
	// loop through each post and add its tags to the db
	foreach ( $posts as $this_post ) {
		$the_post = (int) $this_post->post_id;
		//$the_post = $this_post->post_id;
		$the_tag = $wpdb->escape($this_post->tag_name);
		//echo some data about each row.
		$wtfoutput = $tags_added."->|".$the_post."|<em>(".gettype($the_post).")</em> |".$the_tag."|<em>(".gettype($the_tag).")</em>";
		// try to add the tag to a broken function and output a friendly status message.
		if(wp_set_post_tags($the_post, $the_tag, true)) {
			$wtfoutput .= ' <strong style="color:#00ff00;">Success!</strong><br />'."\r\n";
		} else {
			$wtfoutput .= ' <strong style="color:#ff0000;">Shitty.</strong><br />'."\r\n";
		}
		echo $wtfoutput;
		$tags_added++;
	}
	echo "</div>";

	// that's it, all posts should be linked to their tags properly, pending any errors we just spit out!
	//it never gets this far, it just hangs and the foreach breaks!
	return $tags_added;
}

Note, in that function above, you should change it to wp_add_post_tags, I switched it to see if it made a difference, which it didn't (and logically I knew wouldn't)

oops, a dup! (sry)