Should a politican who mangles parts of his speeches be taken at his word?

Question

I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." --George W. Bush, talking to key Republicans about Iraq

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --George W. Bush, interview with CBS News' Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

"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?" --George W. Bush, asked if the tide was turning in Iraq, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

Answer 1

Bush cannot put two sentences, or even a whole sentence, together. That much is true.

He ain't perfect. But overall a better choice in my view. Whatever.

The Kerry flap reminds me very much of the Trent Lott comment. Said something on Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday. (Thurmond ran as a segregationist for President in 1948.) Lott said "heck, if you'da won maybe we wouldn'ta had all the problems we did." Shocking - racist, hurtful, etc. I was p*ssed. There's NO way to make that right.

But I remember a strange thing happening. People attacking Lott found another tape - he'd said the same thing in 1980!!! But the Lott people said, that explains the comment, not makes it worse. If someone introduced Thurmond in 1980 - a very bad time for the US economy, with an energy crisis, Soviets in Afghanistan and hostages in Iraq - and said "hey, y'all, here's Strom Thurmond, heck, maybe if he'da been prez-det we wouldn't be in the fix we're in now" - it DOES change the context. But I still say SO WHAT? The BEST spin you could put on it is that Lott was insensitive to say it in 1980, and was dumber than a fence post to repeat it in such a hurtful way in 2002! No way would I credit Thurmond. The gaffe was telling because it was a window into what people felt were Lott's thoughts anyway.

Maybe something vaguely similar happened here. Kerry muffed his lines. Maybe. And he has apologized, which has some value. But the "mistake" so closely echoed prior statements he made about the troops - you know them as well as I do - that people wonder if he was sending "a signal" to his base or had otherwise made a telling Freudian slip. And maybe some people thought even the best interpretation - trashing Bush and making him and the war the butt of a joke - was itself not much better, as Lott's comment wasn't much less insulting in 1980.

Again, Lott is a dope, and worse. We saw something very UGLY come out of him.

I'm not so sure the Kerry case is all that terribly different.

I do know that if the shoe were on the other foot, we'd all feel different about the amount of scrutiny it got, and it would have been covered diffrerently in our favorite sources of news and commentary. I'm not objective, but I'm honest!

PS These politicians are not too bright, and talk incessantly on autopilot. They're also not used to every word they utter being picked up everywhere.

I WILL say it (I just thought of this): if you don't do all that well in school you might end up as a politician!!!

I make plenty of money, and enjoy my anonymity. I make more than I could in those jobs, certainly on an hourly basis. Who needs it, if you can do better? Sorry to be so cynical . . .

Answer 2

Oh, for Pete's sake! George W. Bush was (and is) DYSLEXIC! If you knew the pain that causes, for the person and his/her struggle to READ, write, and speak fluently, you MIGHT have more compassion.

George's struggle to read is what fueled Barbara Bush's campaign for literacy! She and George HW had NO problem with reading or school work and were stunned to learn that their eldest son could NOT read with any degree of fluency. They knew he was smart, and could function, but they could not understand why he couldn't read, and she devoted part of every day to the task of TRYING to teach George W to read. NOT MUCH was known about dyslexia in those days. It caused SO MUCH PAIN, FRUSTRATION, and EMBARRASSMENT!

I know because I have a niece who is dyslexic. She is so impressive to look at and wonderful to be around (tall, beautiful, blond, sweet, kind, considerate) but when we learned she had trouble reading, it was first a shock, and then it became a family challenge. (Our family is well stocked with school teachers, professors, and school administrators (11 at last count), so we REALLY took this problem seriously, and learned all we could.) We found a special school and our niece is now capable of reading well enough to hold a good job, but it was a struggle every day. Just the drive to her school added an additional two hours of daily travel time, but her father did it willingly, for six years, from 7th to 12th grade. We learned all we could and did all we could, to move her forward. Her struggle was heart-breaking; there were days she just wanted to throw in the towel; the program was just too difficult, and too intensive to sustain. We were afraid she would become depressed because her program was so different, and so much more intensive, than that of her siblings. However, she kept at it and her teachers were marvelous, and they did their best.

Please, people, educate yourself and also GIVE THANKS if your family does not have to face this challenge. When a member can't read, it affects everyone. Think about the hours of joy you get from reading for pleasure, the ability to jot down a grocery list without thinking, and, the ability to write letters that convey what you mean. Don't take it for granted. Give thanks! And, give George W. Bush a break; he cannot help the fact that his brain is "wired a bit differently;" he was born that way! Dyslexics are still wonderful people. I know!

Answer 3

Bush never claimed to be an eloquent speaker , in fact he has come out and said it wasn't his strong suit... Kerry on the other hand has a reputation for speaking out against the military, and at the same time using his war record(snicker) as a tool for election.... Big difference

Answer 4

Regardless of his bungles he is human. I think his administration has bigger fish to fry. There are also larger issues at hand far more important than his seeming lack of elocution. If you want to engage in intelligent discourse please find a more poignant and deserving line.

Another point of contest: if you are going to quote someone in the context of appropriate grammar, please consider doing it correctly. You do not use a series of dashes to show a passage of time or missing content, you use ellipses (...).

Finally, I would be careful at taking anyone at their word. Watch what they do and listen to what they say...then you can make your choice regarding their verity and quality.

Answer 5

If a reporter with a video camera followed you around for 6 years recording everything you say I wonder if you'd make a gaffes yourself?

Answer 6

1. Hearsay, and not by a "key Republican."
2. So what.
3. So what.

No one was insulted. He can take a joke, even when it's on him.

So what?

Answer 7

The Liberals pick at every Bush speech... why can't Republicans pick at a Liberal when they "botch a joke?"

Answer 8

I gave up taking Bush at his word long ago. Politicians are lying scumbags that will say anythng to get elected.

FP

Answer 9

You got it. Both ways it goes. At least you see such. Good for you :-)

Answer 10

It is ONE THING not to be an eloquent public speaker, and quite another to be a buffoon who insults our military.