Posted on 08/25/2006 6:24:42 PM PDT by WestTexasWend
Bush-bashing for sport has never lacked fans in the blogosphere, but questioning the president's intelligence lately has gone mainstream. Joe Scarborough, former Republican congressman and host of MSNBC's "Scarborough Country," recently tossed his beanie into the ring, running a 10-minute segment titled: "Is Bush an 'Idiot'?"
Scarborough wasn't calling Bush an idiot, mind you. He was just quoting that renowned American intellectual, Linda Ronstadt. Recently, Ronstadt had commented on the president's performance while attending an international summit of heads of state.
No wait, my mistake, she made those comments to reporters and audiences while touring in Canada. But never mind. When Ronstadt talks, people listen. Citing other leading American intellectuals — The Dixie Chicks, Peter, Paul & Mary and Joan Baez — Ronstadt said:
"I'm embarrassed George Bush is from the United States. ... He's an idiot. He's enormously incompetent on both the domestic and international scenes."
Scarborough said he felt compelled to explore whether the president is intellectually curious. To debate the topic, Scarborough rounded up two commentators — John Fund of The Wall Street Journal and Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC senior political analyst. He also provided a video collection of Bushisms in which the president repeatedly trips over his own tongue.
Fund said that Bush is not dumb, just inarticulate, while O'Donnell suggested that Bush is out of his league. They both may be right, but I'd like to submit an alternative explanation for Bush's linguistic deficit.
Language barrier.
This theory occurred to me not long ago at an off-the-record luncheon with Bush and a hundred or so of his supporters. I was the guest of a guest and welcomed the opportunity to observe the president in his natural habitat.
What I witnessed was revealing. Not only was the man fluent in the English language and intellectually agile, he was knowledgeable on a wide range of subjects raised during a 90-minute Q&A. Someone apparently had been slipping intellectual-curiosity tablets into Bush's cola. Toward the end, one of the guests said, "Mr. President, I think if Americans could hear you speak the way you have today, you'd have a 95 percent approval rating."
I think that's almost true. Not 95 percent, obviously, but he'd surely have a higher than 30 percent approval rating were he better able to explain what he's thinking. Bush does know; he just can't seem to say.
The question is why?
My theory dovetails with something one of his most acerbic critics, columnist Molly Ivins, once wrote: "George W. Bush sounds like English is his second language." That's because it's true. "Washington English" is a second language for Bush; "Texas English" is his first.
When he tries to speak Washington English, which is the way Bush thinks presidents are supposed to speak — over-enunciating and sprinkling his comments with awkward aphorisms — he fumbles. He forgets what he's saying because the thoughts and words are not his own. My guess is he over-enunciates to cover his prairie accent, but the effect is, well, sssssstrange.
Tapes of Bush as governor of Texas reveal none of the malapropisms for which he is now infamous. That's because in Texas, he speaks his native tongue.
Anyone who speaks before cameras knows the taste of humility and can relate to the agony of being George Bush.
Even, perhaps, Scarborough, who wrapped up his idiot segment, saying: "And that is a big question, whether George W. Bush has the intellectual curiousness — if that's a word — to continue leading this country."
My dictionary confirms that "curiousness" is a word, though Joe's expression suggested it wasn't the one he meant to use. No worries. Sometimes in the excitement of a moment, even the curiouser and curiouser quite forget how to speak good English.
Coincidentally, Ronstadt just cancelled her tour of TX & Mexico after unexplained surgery >>>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=8295
I wonder how many idiots have a batchelors degree from Yale and a MBA from Harvard.
Just saying, the standards at those two schools must have really dropped.
The funny thing is President Bush will be remembered for his greatness long after everyone has forgotten the names of his detractors.
The comments following the article are hilarious!!
Good theory--but let's not forget that Bush is not a Texan--at least not by birth, or education.
One can hope it was for a full frontal lobotomy.
None of those has beens or never was should be taken seriously as critics of someone's intelligence.
Joe Scarborough ought to keep his own messy personal life in mind before he starts bashing our President.
He grew up in Texas. His dad was small potatoes until he got things really going when GW was a teenager.
Is Scarborough an idiot? The only ones who may have answered no is his 7 viewers.
"Yeah, well, everybody knows his daddy paid off his professors. NO BLOOD FOR O----ooooh, look something shiny!"
/moonbat drivel
President Bush's love and devotion to Texas makes him a total Texan in my book.
Most of the people I know who have BS degrees, or higher are complete and total morons who are removed from reality. In my experience with people the more 'educated' you are, the less you know. I think there's something about 4 or more years of college that pollutes people's minds. It makes them perfect management, and or government employee material though.
Back on topic. Bush is just a horrific public speaker, and a terrible communicator. It has no bearing on his intelligence. I'm sure he is a very smart man, and he comes across as being very genuine and likable, which makes up for his faults as an orator.
Surgery to remove her fat head from her fat ass?
PS:
Scarborough has contracted Terminal McVainitis, characterized by an extreme and inapproproiate desire to be fawned upon by the media, coupled with an irresistable impulse to stab "friends" in the back at every opportinity.
Life long Texan myself and wouldn't live anywhere else.
Liposuction? In her case, that would be emergency surgery.
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