It's common, global, knowledge that President Bush doesn't have the brightest public image (as best portrayed by Will Ferrel on Saturday Night Live). Unfortunately George is an easy target, what with the poor grammar, pretzel incident, I could go on. His history of being an 'oil man' doesn't help his wartime reputation at all.
This morning I heard something that changed my own opinion of the man. I have to admit I was surprised to hear that the reality of President Bush is just the opposite of popular satire.
Today on NPR's Morning Edition, reporter Renee Montagne interviewed David Frum, a speech writer for Bush and the author of The Right Man, an insider's look into the Bush Whitehouse:
MONTAGNE — The President Bush that you spent you first months in the White House writing for, how did he measure up against the President Bush that was being made fun of? The President Bush of malapropisms, poor memory for facts. Was that the fellow that you encountered on a daily basis?FRUM — I don't know that there has been a president in a long time whose image and whose reality have been farther apart than President Bush. I think people have an image of George Bush as, you know, very good-natured but maybe kind of dumb, whereas the truth is he's not at all dumb and he's not always so good-natured.
MONTAGNE — Well, let's work backwards. What about not being good-natured? He has a temper?
FRUM — Well, let me read you an example of his temper. 'I once made the mistake of suggesting to Bush that he use the phrase "cheap energy" to describe the aims of his energy policy. He gave me a sharp, squinty look, as if he were trying to decide whether I was the very stupidest person he had heard from all day, or only one of the top five. "Cheap energy," he answered, "was how we'd got into this mess. Every year, from the early 1970s until the mid 1990s, American cars burned less and less oil per mile traveled. Then in about 1995, that progress stopped. Why?" He answered his own question. "Because of the gas-guzzling SUV. And what had made the SUV craze possible?" This time I answered, "Um, cheap energy?" He nodded at me. "Dismissed."'
Now keep in mind this is the guy who everyone thinks of as the posterchild for Mad Magazine. This is the man that almost cost Alec Baldwin his citizenship. This is our president who has just reprimanded his staff for suggesting that cheap fuel is good because poor fuel economy is a problem.
Am I missing something? Did the President of the United States of America call sports utility vehicles a bad thing? If Bush stands to profit so much from the sale of oil, then why would he care how many giant, gas sucking, land yachts are speeding around the world?
I submit that G.W.B. might not be as big of a jerk as everyone, including myself, has made him out to be. If the President is really this sharp — away from the cameras and reporters — then what do I care if he can't pronounce the word nuclear correctly?
Join the fray by reading through and commenting at the end.
Assuming these claims are true, that's pretty eye-opening. Honestly, I follow the pack in the belief he truly is a dimwitted nutbar. Considering the way he presents himself in public, I take the new claims with a grain of salt. When it comes from the horse's mouth, it's kind of hard not to believe in his halfwitted mind. Then again, I'd much rather be wrong.
I agree with Blake. Mr. Frum's claims notwithstanding (I am not convinced he doesn't have his own agenda, such as: I was the speechwriter for the stupidest president ever) the evidence does not confirm this.
It also does not address the fact that corporations in general have him in his hip pocket; if he is actually SMART, he is incredibly dangerous.
The problem is, there's a big difference between smart and what I'd call "book smart". I have a friend who is one of the most brilliant minds I've ever known, and yet probably one of the dumbest. Great with numbers, facts, talented musician, and yet she can't tell time on a non digital clock without staring and doing a mental "OK, the big hand is on..."
Being able to quote numbers, or to know statistics about oil doesnt make someone smart, it makes them a businessman. Bush the oilman knows those things because it was good business.
Unfortunately Bush the President hasn't learned the skills needed to even instill confidence in his population, let alone conduct international relations. His last european trip he managed to insult both the German and French heads of state within a two day period.
All that aside, he could be Einstein and it would excuse his wholesale dismantling of individual liberties, and his obvious President-For-Sale ties to big business, especially big oil.
Chris brings up a valid point. There certainly are different forms of "intelligence" and "stupidity". However, I don't think we're dealing with a "Rain Man" here. He gives me the vibe of just another glass-half-empty chap who tries. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe he tries. But impressions are a very key element in a person's character. And the impression I get is a few pins shy of a strike. But hey, I digress.
If what he said about Bush is true, then I'm now even more worried about Bush; if he's not dumb he must be very evil. I think probably a bit of both.
Wether it's true or not though, what he says doesn't matter as much as what he does.
Dumb and evil? *shudder*
I also was quite surprised by the President's comments about "gas-guzzling SUV's". Perhaps his approach would be to let governmental agencies continue taxing gasoline and the market would shake out those who can actually afford the fuel intake of an SUV.
I could not live with my leftist self if I believed that W wasn't a moron. I'm sorry...it's for my own health.
I still want to give Bush the benifit of the doubt. That doesn't mean I'll be necessarily voting for him in '04 but I won't swallow the media's representation so easily. The real G.W. is somewhere in between.
I believe that Bush's political opponents have done a good job of "positioning" him in the minds of Americans. This is greatly helped by the fact that over 80% of the press support the Democratic party. Now, SNL makes fun of most everyone, and Bush is such an easy target but I agree with Airbag. This war is not about oil. That's just his opponents politicizing efforts taking hold in the minds of those who haven't "digged deeper."