Quote:
Originally posted by MagiK:
Bush may sound like he is think witted, that southern Texas accent and all, but Ill bet he is a cut above most people here. Even rich boys are not given a pass to get the keys to an F-16. Frankly his grades were as good or better than many in office today.
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I think most people would be insulted that a man who waved at Ray Charles to get his attention is meant to be a 'cut above' them.
I am a linguist. If ever there was a person who didn't give a damn about how he sounded, it's me. It's not his accent that is the problem, it is his words. If you say a stupid thing, it remains a stupid thing no matter *what* accent it is in.
"I would like to thank Nasal Beard for that warm welcome." -- George Bush, thanking Hazel Beard, mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1992.
Now before anyone says "oh, it was just a little slip", think about it - this is a man in charge of a country, a job where diplomacy and being able to cope with different people and places is essential. Where is is not good to call someone "Nasal Beard". Where it is not advisable to call people 'assholes' in front of microphones without checking they are turned off.
"Rarely is the question asked: is our children learning?" -- George W. Bush
If this is a man who is a 'cut above the rest', I hate to see what America's school system is churning out.
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." George W. Bush
Yes, it's a problem we all suffer from, George. Try a spoon.
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case." George W. Bush
Thank god. J Edgar Hoover has the cross-dresser legacy all to himself.
Yes, taken on their own, any of these would be 'little' slips, but there is a whole catalogue of things this man has said that would make you think he is under-qualified to serve me fast food, never mind meet with world leaders.
And no, they may not give the keys to aircraft out to rich kids, but i bet they bend the rules for rich, ex-president's kids.
The man is a laughing stock on the international scene. This is not because of some terrible plot by the left-wing press to discredit him. It is not because the realm of Academia doesn't like his southern drawl. It is because GWB is as thick as two short planks. No clever dodging by any republican will ever convince any objective person that he is any more than a figurehead designed specifically to appeal to the voters who want the president to be a cowboy, a REAL man, a guy they would go out drinking with, rather than a man with any modicum of talent in any area.
Oh, and it's not just us, the terrible left-wing academics, who doubt GWB's mental integrity. When his family was being entertained by this country's Royal Family, The Queen approached GWB to begin the meaningless plesantries that are required on such occasions. Barbera Bush, who had been watching like a hawk, swooped upon the Queen and diverted her from her lovely, but rather thick-witted son, before he could say somehting cringe-makingly embarrasing or inhumanly stupid.
You can say whatever you want about Slick Willie, but at least when he met with a world leader, I had some degree of confidence that he would pronounce their name correctly, and would have done his homework, putting him in a knowledgeable position about the matter in hand. I felt that when Clinton read a speech, he did so easily and with fluidity because he himself had had a part in writing it, or at the very least because he had studied it, memorised some of it, and had the mental discipline to avoid the GWB-style of speech reading which is as follows :
"Hey folks. [first sentence of speech]"
Pause.
Look down at paper.
Read second line
"[second line of speech]"
Pause.
Look down at paper.
Read third line of speech.
"[Third line of speech]"
Which just gives everyone in the world the impression that GWB is a rather slow-witted individual, reading a pre-prepared, unseen speech sentence by sentence. I think we get this impression because it is the truth, not some vast conspiracy.
Oh, how surprising that this rich, ex-president's son went through school and got decent grades. It's about as surprising as learning that Prince Harry was head of the international polo team based purely on his skill at playing the game. yeah, right (!)
As long as GWB continues to display the intelligence long associated with people in the British Royal Family, then i will view any grades he has been bought/given/earned, and any 'accomplishments' attributed to him, with the greatest of suspicion.