The five dumbest things President Bush has ever said

Throughout his four-plus years in office, President Bush has said some stupid things. So many so, in fact, that they've garnered their own term: Bushisms. Some Bushisms fly in the face of standard grammar and usage: "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?" Or this gem, "Will the highways on the Internet become more few?" And who could forget this winner: "We ought to make the pie higher."

While Bush has most certainly raised the pie higher when it comes to malapropisms, he has also made statements making him look not only grammatically challenged, but also intellectually stunted. To wit: "You can look inside in the truck, and you don't even have to get in it. That's called technology. And it's working. It makes a big difference."

While the above either leave you laughing or shaking your head, it's the new genre of Bushism – a far more dangerous strain – that isn't leaving the world in stitches.

So without further ado, I present to you five examples of the new Bushism. Call them what you want – ignorant, criminally negligent, insane – but do note that when Bush opens his mouth, you can be sure someone, somewhere, is going to pay the price for his statements.

1. "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." Has there been a more loaded statement than the one Bush made during his State of the Union speech on January 28, 2003? Think of what has happened since then: We've invaded Iraq based on phony evidence like the above. When Joseph Wilson gave lie to the administration's position, the White House actively put partisanship above national security, outing his wife, Valerie Wilson, a covert CIA operative. Currently under investigation, the president's right-hand man, Karl Rove, may soon face indictment. The higher the scandal goes, the worse it looks for Bush. All because of 16 words.
2. "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." When Bush stood on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003, a large banner behind him read "Mission Accomplished." Nearly 2,000 American deaths later, Iraq is no more on the way toward Democracy than our forces are on their way home. What's more, Iraq is now an international breeding ground – a graduate school, if you will – for terrorism, leading to attacks in Madrid and London, for instance. Mission Accomplished, indeed.
3. "There are some who feel like – that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring them on." Since Bush made those borderline insane comments on July 2, 2003, 1,700 American men and women have died in Iraq. This kind of cavalier attitude is no doubt responsible for putting our troops in harm's way. It's easy for a bully like Bush – a man with sense of history, no knowledge of the area – to say "bring them on" from the comfort of the White House. It's much, much harder to leave the posturing and tough talk on the high school playground and be the leader most Americans expect out of the Oval Office.
4. "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." Not long after Bush uttered that statement in an interview with Diane Sawyer on September 1 did its profound stupidity and negligence become apparent. As Kevin Drum pointed out at the Washington Note, everyone anticipated the breach of the levees. In fact, it was Bush administration budget trimming that left New Orleans unprepared as disaster struck. This is a no-doubt-about-it, first-ballot Hall of Fame criminally negligent statement if there ever was one.
5. "... and, Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" Wow. Where do I start with this affirmation, which Bush delivered on September 2. Let's see: FEMA's Michael Brown waited until after Hurricane Katrina struck to make his (political) move. Further, Brown didn't know about the situation at the New Orleans convention center until it was too late. What's more, he lied on his resume and was sent home from the Gulf Coast before he subsequently resigned. In a climate where everyone's playing the blame game, that Brown – a product of cronyism – and his agency shoulder a hefty portion of the fault is not up for debate. Heck of a job, Brownie!

So what's your pick for the dumbest thing Bush has ever said?

Comments

[davefoc]

I think your number 3, the "bring them on" quote, wins hands down.

It is evil in that he proposes to expend other people's lives to back up his bravado, it is ignorant in that it demonstrates a staggering ignofrance about the reality of the situation in Iraq, it is hypocritical given his own efforts to avoid combat duty and it was harmful to efforts to find peaceful solutions to potential civil unrest in Iraq.

This sentence can stand alone as evidence for the disaster that a Bush presidency could be and has been.

[filkertom]

I truly think that pretty much everything he's ever said is the dumbest thing he's ever said. He doesn't have a curve on this; it's all insane.

That said, one of my favorite bits was during the 2000 presidential campaign, when he made reference to his plans to reduce dependence on foreign oil by working with Mexico.