Index: _whatsnew.html
===================================================================
--- _whatsnew.html	(revision 3259)
+++ _whatsnew.html	(working copy)
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@
 	<ul>
 		<li>[<a target="_blank" href="http://dev.fckeditor.net/ticket/2821">#2821</a>] Configuration
 			items that used floating point numbers were parsed as integers.</li>
+		<li>[<a target="_blank" href="http://dev.fckeditor.net/ticket/3181">#3181</a>] Node selection 
+			could raise an error in IE8.</li>
 		<li>Language file updates for the following languages:
 			<ul>
 				<li>[<a target="_blank" href="http://dev.fckeditor.net/ticket/2849">#2849</a>] Lithuanian</li>
Index: editor/_source/internals/fckselection_ie.js
===================================================================
--- editor/_source/internals/fckselection_ie.js	(revision 3258)
+++ editor/_source/internals/fckselection_ie.js	(working copy)
@@ -108,15 +108,16 @@
 		// Try to select the node as a control.
 		oRange = FCK.EditorDocument.body.createControlRange() ;
 		oRange.addElement( node ) ;
+		oRange.select() ;
 	}
 	catch(e)
 	{
 		// If failed, select it as a text range.
 		oRange = FCK.EditorDocument.body.createTextRange() ;
 		oRange.moveToElementText( node ) ;
+		oRange.select() ;
 	}
 
-	oRange.select() ;
 } ;
 
 FCKSelection.Collapse = function( toStart )