Bush's Latest Blunder...

Off Topic Politics and World Issues
1

and it’s a good one!

[quote]At a rally of cheering supporters in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Bush made his usual pitch for limiting “frivolous lawsuits” that he said drive up the cost of health care and run doctors out of business.

But then he added, “We’ve got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business.[/quote] Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”

[quote]
Unfazed, Bush went on to deride his rivals as “pro-trial lawyer,” and concluded, “I think you’ve got to make a choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice. I’m for medical liability reform now.” [/quote].

2

You forgot the rest of the story:

Mutually Assured Deconstruction
By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

Published: September 6, 2004

President Bush likes to zing John Kerry for his more infelicitous pronouncements, like his votes for and against a certain appropriations bill. But this is a perilous path for a malaprop-prone president.

Indeed, as both men showed on Monday, this line of attack might best be described as mutually assured deconstruction.

Mr. Kerry stepped boldly into the verbal minefield early, arriving at a front-porch session with supporters in Canonsburg, Pa., near Pittsburgh. As he likes to do, he brandished a bit of local color to show he wasn’t just any interloping politician blowing through town.

But in so doing he seemed to forget that Republicans have been tearing him down for months as a vacillating, indecisive, finger-in-the-wind politician of the worst order.

“Everybody told me, ‘God, if you’re coming to Canonsburg, you’ve got to find time to go to Toy’s, and he’ll take care of you,’” Mr. Kerry said, dropping the name of a restaurant his motorcade had passed on the way in. "I understand it’s my kind of place, because you don’t have to - you know, when they give you the menu, I’m always struggling: Ah, what do you want?

“He just gives you what he’s got, right?” Mr. Kerry added, continuing steadily off a gangplank of his own making: “And you don’t have to worry, it’s whatever he’s cooked up that day. And I think that’s the way it ought to work, for confused people like me who can’t make up our minds.”

Mr. Kerry’s lapse, however, was matched by Mr. Bush’s seemingly severed synapse of Monday night. At a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo., he was breezing through his domestic agenda when he came to a favorite: what he calls medical liability reform.

“We got an issue in America,” he began, in a folksy diction aimed at his small-town crowd. “Too many good docs are getting out of the business.”

Mr. Bush then turned to another point he has been making lately to appeal to women - that among those doctors being driven from the business are many obstetricians and gynecologists.

But Mr. Bush seemed to get derailed on the way to his point.

“Too many good OB/GYN’s aren’t able to practice their” - he paused a split second, as if searching for a word, then continued - “their love, with women all across this country,” he said.

Women all across the country might actually be relieved by such a shortage.

3

Perhaps your attention was fixed on this:

http://drudgereport.com/dncg.htm

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE SEPT 07, 2004 11:46:05 ET XXXXX

KERRY COSPONSORED BILL BANNING GUN HE WAVES

Was Dem presidential hopeful John Kerry seen this weekend waving a gun which would have been banned if legislation he co-sponsored became law?

Kerry co-sponsored S. 1431 last year (?The Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2003) which would have banned a "semiautomatic shotgun that has a pistol grip.?

Opponents of the bill successfully argued how nearly all guns have “pistol grips,” inluding millions of Browning Auto-5 shotguns produced since 1903.

Photos show Kerry’s hand resting on the “pistol grip,” as loosely defined in the bill. [Section SEC. 2; (H) (ii) and (b)(42): “The term ‘pistol grip’ means a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip.”]

Kerry was presented with the semiautomatic shotgun during a Labor Day stop in Racine, West Virginia.

“I thank you for the gift, but I can’t take it to the debate with me,” Kerry told a cheering crowd as he held up the device.

But Kerry’s gun bill would have also banned any “gift” transaction!

[It is not clear if Kerry completed the required paperwork (Form 4473) before he claimed the gun.]

Developing…

http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/04_09_05_corner-archive.asp#039277

RE KERRY’S GUN [Dave Kopel]
S. 1431, co-sponsored by Sen. John Kerry, says that an “assault weapon” is any semi-automatic rifle or shotgun with a “pistol grip.” According to the bill, “(42) PISTOL GRIP- The term ‘pistol grip’ means a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip.” Kerry’s new semi-automatic gun has a protrusion below the stock, which a person could grip. The protrusion is not a “pistol grip” in the ordinary meaning of the term, but it is a “pistol grip” as defined by S. 1431.
Posted at 03:04 PM

Kerry’s official rebuttal, such as it is, here:

http://drudgereport.com/dncgr.htm

For Immediate Release
September 7, 2004

FACTS SHOW ANOTHER REPUBLICAN LIE

Charleston, WV-John Kerry West Virginia Communications Director Amy Goodwin made the following statement today in response to misleading claims made by the West Virginia Republican Party and Bush campaign.

"Let’s do some straight shooting on the gun issue. John Kerry’s opponents are worried because he’s the first Democratic candidate to support Second Amendment gun rights and to be an avid hunter.

"The facts are clear. John Kerry opposes banning this gun and always will. John Kerry was proud to receive this union-made gun at the United Mine Workers Labor Day picnic in Racine, West Virginia.

“The Republican Party and George Bush’s campaign will stop at nothing to mislead voters about John Kerry’s record. We challenge Bush to engage in honest debates–West Virginians deserve to hear the truth.”

Hmmm, that certainly addressed the issue head on…

4

Bush’s linguistic blunders are so well known that I doubt this will have any effect. The population has come to expect them and therefore are discounted. A real blunder was his interview with Matt Lauer saying that the war couldn’t be won. To me that’s a big blunder, yet America digested it, and a week later he’s up a couple of points in the polls.

Expect many more blunders from Bush, but don’t expect them to have any real negative effect on him. To most it’s just old hat.

5

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
You forgot the rest of the story:

[/quote]

No, I didn’t – this wasn’t the story I quoted.

6

[quote]scrumscab wrote:
…To most it’s just old hat.[/quote]

Maybe so, but that doesn’t stop a person with half a sense of humor from laughing their ass off at him!

C’mon, BB, laugh and your Commander!

7

It was funny…

8

[quote]Right Side Up wrote:
scrumscab wrote:
…To most it’s just old hat.

Maybe so, but that doesn’t stop a person with half a sense of humor from laughing their ass off at him!

C’mon, BB, laugh and your Commander!
[/quote]

It wasn’t funny enough to laugh at, but it did bring a smile to my face when I read it. Now that I think about it, it was more of a Freudian slip than a blunder.

I know there is plenty enough to laugh at with Bush, and trust me I do. Poking fun and fair critcisim of your president is every citizens’s deserved right. I think it is probably socially healing for everyone to do so. Who out of all the Bush supporters here haven’t laughed at one of Jay Leno’s jokes about the president? I have. Shit, I bet the President even laughs at himself.

But out of goodwill to all BBs here I will laugh at our commander for thinking out loud about how he really wished he was back with the good doctor and his young patient.

9

Has no one noticed and appreciated Bush’s latest worrisome Freudian slip?

“We will NOT have an all-volunteer army!”

…crowd silent, hesitating, unsure…then, some bold audience members pipe up to CORRECT THE PRESIDENT!

“We WILL…WILL have an all volunteer army!” he corrects himself.

…the crowd and he share a laugh and a clap or two over the latest example that he’s a simpleton…oh, sorry, you guys prefer the term…“ordinary”

10

RSU:

I know that in the course of a day you and I make the same sort of verbal slip ups. the difference is we don’t have 34 microphones recording our every word.

At least I know that my President holds one view on Iraq, the economy etc. Can you say the same about flip-flop Kerry? Is he really that smart? I don’t think so. America has him figured out and you will see those results on November 2nd…:slight_smile:

11

RSU, really this is fun and all but you can’t seriously weigh this into your decision for who you are voting for do you? This is the equivalant of a girlfriend getting mad over you mistating something. You know when you say something that can either be taken in a good way or a bad way and she takes it the wrong way even though you meant it the good way. Even after you tell her you meant it in the good way, she is still mad at you.How annoying is that? This happens when women are cranky and emotional, when they cool down and think logically they generally apologise for making such a big deal over it. That is what I feel like when people criticise bush and actually hold it against him somehow when he slips up. Funny? sure, Critical? hardly. Think logically about this one instead of emotionally. The intent of someones actions and words is what we should be interested in not the words themselves.

Vegita ~ Prince of all Sayajins

12

At least he wasn’t speaking at Lambert Field.

13

I bet he knows the meaning of the word “IS”

14

[quote]Vegita wrote:
You know when you say something that can either be taken in a good way or a bad way and she takes it the wrong way even though you meant it the good way. Even after you tell her you meant it in the good way, she is still mad at you.How annoying is that? This happens when women are cranky and emotional, when they cool down and think logically they generally apologise for making such a big deal over it.

Vegita ~ Prince of all Sayajins[/quote]

Yeah, that is annoying. All I said was, “Gawdamn! I’d like to nail your mom!” She totally misunderstood what I meant. I was just saying that her mom looked good for her age. Geeez!

15

[quote]Vegita wrote:
Think logically about this one instead of emotionally. The intent of someones actions and words is what we should be interested in not the words themselves.

Vegita ~ Prince of all Sayajins[/quote]

ZEB and Vegita: these Bush slip ups are not par for the course, or some natural result of being listened to all of the time. In fact, I think these sorts of slip ups are consistent with other indications that he is of less than average intelligence.

Consider this snippet from a Times Mag piece I reference in another thread, called Without A Doubt:

[quote]In the Oval Office in December 2002, the president met with a few ranking senators and members of the House, both Republicans and Democrats. In those days, there were high hopes that the United States-sponsored ‘‘road map’’ for the Israelis and Palestinians would be a pathway to peace, and the discussion that wintry day was, in part, about countries providing peacekeeping forces in the region. The problem, everyone agreed, was that a number of European countries, like France and Germany, had armies that were not trusted by either the Israelis or Palestinians. One congressman – the Hungarian-born Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California and the only Holocaust survivor in Congress – mentioned that the Scandinavian countries were viewed more positively. Lantos went on to describe for the president how the Swedish Army might be an ideal candidate to anchor a small peacekeeping force on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sweden has a well-trained force of about 25,000. The president looked at him appraisingly, several people in the room recall.

‘‘I don’t know why you’re talking about Sweden,’’ Bush said. ‘‘They’re the neutral one. They don’t have an army.’’

Lantos paused, a little shocked, and offered a gentlemanly reply: ‘‘Mr. President, you may have thought that I said Switzerland. They’re the ones that are historically neutral, without an army.’’ Then Lantos mentioned, in a gracious aside, that the Swiss do have a tough national guard to protect the country in the event of invasion.

Bush held to his view. ‘‘No, no, it’s Sweden that has no army.’’

The room went silent, until someone changed the subject.

A few weeks later, members of Congress and their spouses gathered with administration officials and other dignitaries for the White House Christmas party. The president saw Lantos and grabbed him by the shoulder. ‘‘You were right,’’ he said, with bonhomie. ‘‘Sweden does have an army.’’ [/quote]

The funniest thing about the Bushisms is the lengths at which his loyal defenders will go to to explain his misstatements.

Regarding Kerry, ZEB, I think you may be “misunderestimating” him!

By the by, do you think during that lie at the start of the 3rd debate, it was the first time he’s ever used the word ‘exaggeration?’ Sure sounded like it…

Perhaps I’ll do a search on one of my internets.

16

RSU:

Not trying to make your age an issue, however you are too young to remember how the press used to make fun of Ronald Reagen.

He had at least one slip up per day. He slept in cabinet meetings, mispronounced names. He was called a wild cowboy from the west by the foreign press.

Looking back however he is always placed in the top five or ten greatest Presidents whoever lived! Funny how the slip ups really don’t matter much when the results are so great!

It will take time for liberals like you to grasp this, as you are so very happy to call those who disagree with you stupid. However, we don’t hear much from the Nuclear Freeze’ organizations anymore. It just takes time for liberals to catch up.

Five or ten years down the road your kind will also be slient about Bush’s insignificant mistakes.

17

[quote]ZEB wrote:
RSU:

Not trying to make your age an issue, however you are too young to remember how the press used to make fun of Ronald Reagen.[/quote]
Perhaps so, however, this is irrelavent…I’m making fun of BUSH – who deserves it so.

[quote]
He had at least one slip up per day. He slept in cabinet meetings, mispronounced names. He was called a wild cowboy from the west by the foreign press.

Looking back however he is always placed in the top five or ten greatest Presidents whoever lived! Funny how the slip ups really don’t matter much when the results are so great![/quote]

Are the results going great for GWB? What has he accomplished? Iraq is a mess and he doesn’t know it.

[quote]
It will take time for liberals like you to grasp this, as you are so very happy to call those who disagree with you stupid. However, we don’t hear much from the Nuclear Freeze’ organizations anymore. It just takes time for liberals to catch up.

Five or ten years down the road your kind will also be slient about Bush’s insignificant mistakes.[/quote]

Prophetic as always, ZEB-stradamus.

18

Bush slips up all the time. It’s funny. It means little.

Why? Despite his verbal gaffes, Bush doesn’t have a communication problem. People know what he means - even if he tortures the pronunciation of a word.

I also like the fact the Bush is absolutely horrid at doublespeak. That inelegance is refreshing.

As for making fun of Bush, it’s fair game and good for a laugh, even among his supporters, but - sadly - it has become one of the Left’s lone weapons to use on Bush. Since they are failing the policy war and are bereft of meaningful ideas, being snarky at the ‘dumb kid’ is all they have left to spend their energy on.

19

RSU:

You not really getting my point! They made fun of Reagen, just like you are now doing to Bush. There is a parellel. Things were not going well for Reagen at the time either. We were in an arms race with the former Soviet Union etc.

My point is that those with no vision can never see a good outcome. Those with vision, such as Reagen and Bush see ahead of the short term turmoil to a greater good.

Stick around in five years or so you’ll get it. Just like the nuclear freeze people got it. Late but they got it.

20

[quote]ZEB wrote:
RSU:

Not trying to make your age an issue, however you are too young to remember how the press used to make fun of Ronald Reagen.

There you go confusing age with wisdom again. I voted for Ronnie, then as I aged, I wised up and didn’t make that mistake twice.

He had at least one slip up per day. He slept in cabinet meetings, mispronounced names. He was called a wild cowboy from the west by the foreign press.

You mean like that silly Iran/Contra affiar?

Looking back however he is always placed in the top five or ten greatest Presidents whoever lived! Funny how the slip ups really don’t matter much when the results are so great!

Maybe of the last Ten or fifteen Presidents. Nice things are being said about Reagan becuase he recently died, it’s the polite thing to do.

It will take time for liberals like you to grasp this, as you are so very happy to call those who disagree with you stupid.
Not Stupid. Arrogant, self rightuous, selfish…, but not stupid.

However, we don’t hear much from the Nuclear Freeze’ organizations anymore. It just takes time for liberals to catch up.

The Russians deserve as much or more of the credit for putting themselves out of bussiness. At least during the cold war we knew who was in control of the soviets nukes. Can we say that now?

Five or ten years down the road your kind will also be slient about Bush’s insignificant mistakes.[/quote]

Assuming we are out of Irag. If not it won’t seem so insignificant