Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I still haven't read an Obamaism that top any of the crazy stuff Bush said as President. davewasbaloo's quotes are a testament to that.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Again - anyone can slip up and say something dumb. That's not what dave was getting at. It's the things Bush MEANT to say that are also jaw-droppers, and speak to why he was such a disaster.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <57 states is not a jaw dropper ?????> The point is, it's a gaffe. Gaffe can be tongue-slips or brain farts, or whatever you want to call them. Compare that to something like: "The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th." --Washington, D.C., July 12, 2007." That's not a tongue slip. That was entire intentional. It's also: a). untrue. b). A deliberate an insidious attempt to conflate 9/11 with Iraq in people's minds. Do you not see the difference?
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "57 states is not a jaw dropper ?????" In the context of when the comment was made (during the campaign) I'm guessing that he was exhausted. Surely the man knows how many states are in the Union.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Everyone makes gaffes, especially when they're tired. Your mind races faster than your lips can speak. We all do it. Bush, OTOH, doesn't have the problem with his mind working faster than his lips. Just the opposite, actually. Here are my two favorite Bush quotes of all time, because they epitomize his inability to communicate clearly. Which all college graduates, btw, should be able to do: "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." -- GWB 09/06/04 "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." -- GWB 08/05/04 Sorry, but those are not gaffes. That's dipped in stupid.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan As funny as both of those quotes are (and they're hoots!) I don't think George Bush meant to say that he spends a great deal of time figuring out new ways to harm this country and its people. And I don't think he really believes OB-GYNs "practice their love with women." Clearly, in both examples, he didn't say what he meant, worded the phrases clumsily, and the rest is comedy history. Classic gaffes, but gaffes nonetheless. Obama has, and will, make his share of gaffes, like every president. George Bush had an odd sense of humor -- in his mind, he might be telling a joke but the reference exists only in his own mind, leaving listeners unsure what to do. I have some experience with that myself. It wasn't as refreshing as I'd hoped it would be.
Originally Posted By donnyaz President Obama flubbed two facts about American history. 1.The U.S. did not invent the automobile 2. the transcontinental railroad was not completed until years after the Civil War, not during it. <a href="http://factcheck.org/2009/02/fact-checking-obamas-speech/" target="_blank">http://factcheck.org/2009/02/f...-speech/</a>
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy Attempts to defend George W. Bush's intelligence are incredibly disingenuous. It doesn't take a whole lot to realize that his intellectual capacity comes up pretty short.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 As 2oony says, Bush's gaffes were comedy gold, and there were entire BOOKS filled with them (Bushisms, Bushisms II, etc.). They're fun. But everybody has slips of the tongue, and/or brain farts. Bush more than most, but still. Luckily, nobody quotes most of us when we do it; they can even become fun things to remember among friends. What bothers me, though, are the things Bush very much meant to say, like the Sept. 11/Iraq conflations, which he said many times very deliberately (as did Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, et al). There's a big difference between that and a gaffe. I give him a pass for gaffes (including the two in 32) but not for that. And not for something like "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter" which is also clearly not a gaffe, but rather an intentional middle finger to the rest of the world at his final G8 summit. It's the kind of thing an arrogant, entitled, none-too-bright frat boy does when he forgets he somehow became President of the United States.
Originally Posted By donnyaz POST 36 "What bothers me, though, are the things Bush very much meant to say, like the Sept. 11/Iraq conflations, which he said many times very deliberately (as did Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, et al)." If you think Iraq had no WMD's read this from CNN <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/07/iraq.uranium/" target="_blank">http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/...uranium/</a> 500 tons of Yellow cake
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy ^^ Your article clearly states that the uranium in question was not weapons grade, and is typical of the uranium that is regularly traded on international markets for power generation. In case you aren't aware, the "W" in WMD stands for weapons -- none of which have been found in Iraq.
Originally Posted By andyll <<President Obama flubbed two facts about American history. 1.The U.S. did not invent the automobile>> Easy mistake to make. If he would have said 'populized the automobile' he would have been correct. <<2. the transcontinental railroad was not completed until years after the Civil War, not during it.>> Civil War (1861–1865) First Transcontinental Railroad (1863-1869) He was correct in the context of what he was saying. Those 2 examples are nitpicking to find gaffes. (as are all the examples on that page) 2. the transcontinental railroad was not completed until years after the Civil War, not during it.
