Bushed
As the era of the Bushism nears its close, a last chance to enjoy some of George W's more lexically-challenged moments. What's your favourite?
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Slate.com has monitored this for a while. The beeb has missed some beauties -
History
"I think we agree, the past is over"
Also, to the Brazilian President
"Do you have Blacks too?"
On education-
"If you teach a child to read, they'll be able to pass a literacy test"
(Trust me, you don't need to do that much, George.)
Blue Skies thinking on education
"I love the idea of a School where children come to learn"
More Blue Skies thinking
"My job is, like, to think beyond the immediate."
Law and Order
"I think we ought to raise the age at which a juvenile can have a gun"
(well, he's Texan, so that one might make sense in his neghbourhood).
"If you enter a country illegally you break the law"
A Pro-life philosophy
"Life is important...not only the life of babies, but the life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."
The War on Terror
"American troops WERE welcomed by Iraqis. It just wasn't a PEACEFUL welcome."
"We need to find those plotting to harm our country and move them out of harm's way."
I'm trying to collec these, so any others would be welcome.
GV
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I collect them too, I have a bunch in a text file on my Mac at home. I'll copy-paste them later. A few gems from the top of my head:
-on education
"We are going to have the best educated Americans in the world."
(an achievable goal actually)
-on the environment:
"It's not pollution that's harming the environment, it's impurities in the air and water that are doing it."
-on foreign policy:
"We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe, we are a part of Europe."
-on science:
"I think it's time for mankind to enter the solar system."
And at some point he was also recorded saying "Public speaking is easy.". Well don't underestimate it George!
More later,
Peter
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Brilliant!! I'd missed those.
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All very amusing ? what about the incoming president ? the baby-killer Obama?
He complained that the US didn?t have enough ?Arabic translators? in Afghanistan -- not realizing the natives don?t speak Arabic in Afghanistan, but rather a variety of regional dialects, the most common of which is Pashtun.
Speaking to military veterans one time, he said, ?Our nation honours its unbroken line of fallen heroes -- and I see many of them in the audience here today.?
He bragged about passing a law regulating the nuclear industry that turned out never to have been passed at all.
Some days Obama said Venezuela's dictator Hugo Chavez should suffer "regional isolation" -- but then on others he?d say he supported the president?s meeting with Chavez.
He told one audience about recent tornados in Kansas that had killed 10,000 people. In fact, a dozen people were killed in the tornados.
He referred to the ?57 states? that make up the U.S.
Speaking of his daughter?s becoming pregnant, he called it being ?punished? with a baby.
And when asked a simple question about abortion, he said it was ?above his pay grade?.
Luckily, for The Blessed One, he made these remarks to a star-struck press that managed not to ask him a difficult question for two years.
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More insights from the great philosopher.
A theory of justice
"I feel strongly that there ought to be fair justice."
"All of us in America want there to be fairness when it comes to justice."
A sense of history
"That's George Washington, the first president. The interesting thing about him is that I read three books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
On multi-tasking
"All I can tell you is when the governor calls I answer his phone."
"I don't particularly like it when people put words in my mouth unless I say it."
"One has a stronger hand when there's more people playing your same cards."
A Problem from Hell
"A clear lesson I learned in the museum was that forces that tend to divide people up inside their country are unbelievably counterproductive." - after touring a genocide memorial, Kigali,Rwanda
A new Clausewitz?
"And so General I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq." - meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno
"Suiciders are willing to kill innocent life in order to send the projection that this is an impossible mission."
"Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough war is. I talk to families who die."
"You know one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
Philosophy of history
"Now, there are some who would like to rewrite history - revisionist historians is what I like to call them."
"One of the things important about history is to remember the true history."
"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone."
His deep, deep ecology
"I didn't grow up in the ocean - as a matter of fact - near the ocean - I grew up in the desert. Therefore, it was a pleasant contrast to see the ocean. And I particularly like it when I'm fishing."
"I think - tide turning - see, as I remember - I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of - it's easy to see a tide turn - did I say those words?"
On the The Wealth of Nations
"You know, when you give a man more money in his pocket - in this case, a woman more money in her pocket to expand a business, it - they build new buildings. And when somebody builds a new building somebody has got to come and build the building. And when the building expanded it prevented additional opportunities for people to work."
A hands-on Presidency
"And truth of the matter is a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it."
Equal Rights
President Bush: Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times: I can take them off.
Bush: I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
Wallsten: All right, I'll keep it, then.
Bush: You see there's no sun.
Wallsten: I guess it depends on your perspective.
Bush: Touche.
A witty exchange with blind reporter Peter Wallsten
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"Our lives are simply not going to be as normal as they were in the past."
Subtle, but great.
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Here are some more.
-on law and order:
"Who is to blame for riots? The rioters are to blame."
-his grasp of the global economy:
"More and more of our imports come from other countries."
-his grasp of the democratic process:
"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the poles."
-on the future of democracy:
I believe that we are on an irreversible trent toward democracy and more
freedom-but that could change.
-his self-assessment:
"I have made good judgements in the past. I have made good judgements in
the future."
-on the responsibilities of a state governor:
"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any governor, and that one
word is 'to be prepared.'"
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Smasher,
Regulars on this blog know you're obsessed with abortion, but isn't dragging a thread on Bushisms into it carrying it a bit far?
Also, some of the things you mention aren't so much gaffes, as things you disagree with.
And one statement that would be a clear gaff, has doubtful validity. I remember another poster asking you for a source to the 57 states gaffe (John Wright?). We didn't get one then. How about one now?
Peter
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I'm not laughing at Bushisms.
I stopped laughing after his statement "There ought to be limits to freedom" was made in 1999.
(Said statement was a reference to his attempt to shut down a website that mocked him for refusing to answer a question on the use of drugs.)
Some considered that a Bushism.
I laughed even less after his later quote, from December 2000, "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier. Of course, so long as I'm the dictator."
It reminds me of the sign above the x-ray machine at my airport. "NO JOKING MATTER".
And don't get me started on his WMD "joke".
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Peter - I'm sure you can provide the sources for all of your Bushisms.
People make verbal mistakes all the time - the difference is some people are obsessed with proving George Bush is stupid and I don't think he is. Meanwhile the great Obama is given a by.
He said it in Beaverton, Oregon "It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we?ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I?ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."
Can you imagine if George Bush hadn't known how many states there were in the union.
Everybody makes mistakes - I'm quite sure that Obama knew there were 50 States in the US, just as Dan Quaile knew how to spell potato before some idiot gave him a spelling-bee cue card with "potatoe" on it. The difference is the way the lefty media deal with them. Democrats get ignored and Republicans get dumped on from a height.
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Smasher-
There's no doubt about the fact that everybody in public life makes gaffes, and there's also no doubt about the fact that Bush makes them so regularly and it's indicative of so much "under the hood" that he's positively entertaining as a result. The reason, therefore, that people have threads about Bushisms is that he's almost impossible not to laugh at.
(I would also tend to agree with you that Obama's 'halo effect' makes the media very reluctant to bring attention to any - or at least many - of his faults. This is a honeymoon period, nothing more, and it won't be long before that wears off. But don't expect a thread on Obamaisms at the end of his presidency: he'll never come even close to Bush!)
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They are very funny. Yogi Berra's are even funnier.
It's so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.
A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.
Yogi Berra
All pitchers are liars or crybabies.
Yogi Berra
Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.
Yogi Berra
Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.
Yogi Berra
Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.
Yogi Berra
Even Napoleon had his Watergate.
Yogi Berra
Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.
Yogi Berra
He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious.
Yogi Berra
How can you think and hit at the same time?
Yogi Berra
I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.
Yogi Berra
I just want to thank everyone who made this day necessary.
Yogi Berra
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
Yogi Berra
I never said most of the things I said.
Yogi Berra
I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.
Yogi Berra
I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.
Yogi Berra
I'm a lucky guy and I'm happy to be with the Yankees. And I want to thank everyone for making this night necessary.
Yogi Berra
I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.
Yogi Berra
If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em.
Yogi Berra
If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be.
Yogi Berra
If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer.
Yogi Berra
If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Yogi Berra
If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.
Yogi Berra
In baseball, you don't know nothing.
Yogi Berra
In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.
Yogi Berra
It ain't over till it's over.
Yogi Berra
It ain't the heat, it's the humility.
Yogi Berra
It gets late early out there.
Yogi Berra
It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much.
Yogi Berra
It's like deja-vu, all over again.
Yogi Berra
It's pretty far, but it doesn't seem like it.
Yogi Berra
Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.
Yogi Berra
Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.
Yogi Berra
Slump? I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting.
Yogi Berra
So I'm ugly. So what? I never saw anyone hit with his face.
Yogi Berra
The future ain't what it used to be.
Yogi Berra
The only color I don't have is navy brown.
Yogi Berra
The other teams could make trouble for us if they win.
Yogi Berra
The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase.
Yogi Berra
There are some people who, if they don't already know, you can't tell 'em.
Yogi Berra
We have deep depth.
Yogi Berra
We made too many wrong mistakes.
Yogi Berra
When you arrive at a fork in the road, take it.
Yogi Berra
You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six.
Yogi Berra
You can observe a lot by just watching.
Yogi Berra
You should always go to other people's funerals, otherwise, they won't come to yours.
Yogi Berra
You wouldn't have won if we'd beaten you.
Yogi Berra
You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there.
Yogi Berra
There's a whole book of them.
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I love the Yogi Berra quotes.
Unfortunately famous people who are out in the public eye are always going to be ridiculed if the press has an interest in doing so.
Obviously the media wanted to put down President Bush and they made an effort to capture all his verbal slips.
Let us hope President Obama's honeymoon lasts a while longer.
Please join me in wishing both the past president and the new president well.
Jon Boyd
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"And at some point he was also recorded saying "Public speaking is easy.". Well don't underestimate it George!"
Completely! I don't think Bush had any problems with confidence in public speaking - just the content, and a basic grasp of higher thinking :-).
Public Speaking
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