h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know, as much as the media and the internet has made of George W. Bush and some of his blunders leaders throughout time have misspoke and caused problems. Listen to any of Martin Luther King's speechs and you will realize this. The fact that he sometimes stumbles over words does not make Bush a stupid individual and indeed it even takes away from the greater issue of looking at the policies he has chosen to implement.

The "left-wing" has let everyone down by making the discussion about Bush and his supposed thirst for oil, or imperialism or whatever else they chose to throw at him. There are some very real problems that need to be dealt with but too often anti-Americanism gets in the way. Those that are so rabidly anti-American that they cannot see past their own ignorance are truly the sadest individuals of all.

To quote Tony Parsons
"The anti-American alliance is made up of self-loathing liberals who blame the Americans for every ill in the Third World, and conservatives suffering from power-envy, bitter that the world's only superpower can do what it likes without having to ask permission."

Sorry to reply to a conversation so long after the event, but your message provoked some thoughts.

I agree that too much has been made of GWB's tendency towards malapropisms and his often mangled attempts at English. I'm not sure that this denotes stupidity so much as poor public speaking skills - and bad oration is hardly a crime, even in a world leader.

However, I could not quite discern this next bit: are you supporting Mr. Bush's foreign policy, or merely expressing your disappointment that the other members brought up criticism for his foriegn policy in a childish manner - i.e. denouncing Bush becuse he is not articulate?

I'd be interested to know your views, as (I presume) a patriotic American.

Murray
Cape Town

I live in the US, and while I'll agree that everyone is entitled to their own stumblings in speech, he has far too many stumblings in leadership to make me support him. And the easiest way to make fun of the moron is to show concrete evidence of his apparent stupidity.

oh really - MLK or JFK or FDR or even Reagan misspoke & mangled the English language like GWB?

Look, I understand that people in high positions of government, now & then, have a bad day - but GWB is always having a bad day. Oh well, remember, it's HARD WORK, to quote him. And the fact that he cannot be understood clearly is a problem - it affects everything and it shows with the public policies that he has enacted.

if all he did was mangled english, no biggie. But it is a bigger problem and I think it points to some lack of developmental process in his brain.

What brain?