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.
I voted for him, and I'm glad he won. But, only because his opponent was a complete lunatic.
The Republican Party has got to do better in 2008. And, get that Rove character out of the picture!
Hat tip to you.... You're right ;)
MY 2 favorite bumper stickers:
I wasn't born in Texas but got here as fast as I could
and my very favorite:
American by Birth, Southern by the Grace of God
I spent 13 years in TX and W was my governor...but now I'm back in Alabama....couldn't be happier (hey, I get to claim Jeff Sessions as my senator)
Thanks. It's always a pleasure to read a Conservative post here on Free Republic.
"I'm going to put you in a great deal . . ."
"I'm going to go to work for you . . ."
"We both know there's a number you can afford . . ."
"My manager would never accept that, but I guess I could ask . . ."
"It's a great little product, I bought one for my mom"
He's simply acting too nice, relative to his policies.
Any sign of weakness, domestically or abroad (we're all human after all) is exploited by ruthless enemies.
Bush has bent over too far backward.
Me too. Then there's Cindy Sheehan who bought land only a few miles from the President and who will NEVER be a Texan no matter how hard she tries.
Screw Scarborough.
I hope he runs for Senate so that we can openly humiliate the bastard.
Again.
Ah this is rich, a dimwitted shmuck questioning Bush's intelligence.
Yes, we were oh so much better off with that great oralator William Jefferson Clinton who oralated while the jihadists burned Americans.
Coincidentally, Ronstadt just cancelled her tour of TX & Mexico after unexplained surgery
Absolutely! Joe is not only a butt, but a dirty one at that...back during the 2004 election, I watched his show nightly and on two seperate occassions he bragged about how seldom he takes bathes, showers.
The first time I heard him say he'd gladly go a week or longer without one, I thought he was joking. The next time he told how his wife had to make him shower, I realized he was not jk.
She had Frontal lobes until she blew them to oblivion with nose candy.
He and little "ronnie" Reagan bashed W all thru the 2004 election.
I wanted to smack both of them up beside THEIR IDIOT heads!
Brain transplant?
Reagan set the standard ... a standard that may never be equaled.
Dare I say it? The original JFK was well-spoken and quick with a comeback too. Personally, I have observed that some people just have a hard time quickly formulating their thoughts and organizing their thoughts quickly before they start to speak. It is no reflection of their intelligence, just how their brain-to-mouth functions. Anyone who has spent time with brilliant scientists (including medical doctors) can tell you that some of the smartest ones can't string a sentence together to save their lives.
Lol! Well said! Did you see JJ's show that nite?
I tell you, I expected any minute the two idiots were going to say, "Nay...we've decided he doesn't have the "intellectual curiousness" to run the country for 2 more years, so, folks, he's out. John F' Kerry is in...he was in Nam, you know."
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