# Bush 41, did I miss a memo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 30, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230 "2009-08-30T03:59:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/1 "2009-08-30T03:59:46Z")
Huh? Whatever happened to 'George W" ? Or George W Bush? Bush 41? Really? Makes it seem like this is just one in a series. Okay, now I’m scaring myself. When and why did all the talking heads come up with this nugget? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/2 "2009-08-30T04:02:13Z")
If they want to advertise his IQ, that’s fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/3 "2009-08-30T04:06:29Z")
Bush 41 was George HW Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/4 "2009-08-30T04:07:06Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > If they want to advertise his IQ, that’s fine with me. Actually, Bush 41 (George H.W. Bush) is quite intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/5 "2009-08-30T04:08:40Z")
Personally I prefer “Bush Sr.”, even though _technically_ he isn’t a senior, it’s damn close enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/6 "2009-08-30T04:09:02Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > When and why did all the talking heads come up with this nugget? About 8 1/2 years ago, in reference to George H. W. Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/7 "2009-08-30T04:28:21Z")
Well of course 41 was the Sr. I was just testing you guys. You did good! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/8 "2009-08-30T04:45:36Z")
Following the naming convention established for British Prime Ministers, I prefer to call him “Bush, the Elder” ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/9 "2009-08-30T05:04:07Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Bush 41? Really? > > Makes it seem like this is just one in a series. Okay, now I’m scaring myself. Maybe we can make him catch on fire by Spock reciting logical paradoxes at him. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/10 "2009-08-30T23:46:24Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Personally I prefer “Bush Sr.”, even though _technically_ he isn’t a senior, it’s damn close enough for me. Don’t try that on _this_ Board. One hundred pedants will jump on you before your pixels are dry. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/11 "2009-08-30T23:48:41Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > One hundred pedants will jump on you before your pixels are dry. Cite? Have you actually _counted_ the pedants? 100 is a nice round number, which makes me dubious. Also, pixels don’t ‘dry’. They’re not ink. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/12 "2009-09-01T15:58:26Z")
I usually call him Bush the Elder. Or Bush With a Brain. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/13 "2009-09-01T16:10:05Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > If they want to advertise his IQ, that’s fine with me. Haw, haw! Boy, that Bush sure is a dummy! > [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Well of course 41 was the Sr. I was just testing you guys. You did good! 😛 Er… uh… hey, look at that interesting thing way over there! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/14 "2009-09-01T16:46:58Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Personally I prefer “Bush Sr.”, even though _technically_ he isn’t a senior, it’s damn close enough for me. You could go with “Bush père” and “Bush fils.” It’s accurate and sounds refined. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/15 "2009-09-01T17:53:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Actually, Bush 41 (George H.W. Bush) is quite intelligent. Actually, Bush 43 (George W. Bush) is quite intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/16 "2009-09-01T18:52:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > You could go with “Bush père” and “Bush fils.” It’s accurate and sounds refined. Or, in the style of old books about British boarding school (or so I’ve been told), “Bush Maximus” and “Bush Minimus”. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/17 "2009-09-01T19:16:11Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > Actually, Bush 43 (George W. Bush) is quite intelligent. Considering how stupid he’s _ **acted** _ his whole life, claiming he’s “quite intelligent” is actually an insult. Stupidity, after all is at least not his fault. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/18 "2009-09-01T19:20:34Z")
And just like that, we have another “Bush is stupid” then “Oh nuh uh!” thread. Anyway, I usually call them Bush 1 and 2. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/19 "2009-09-01T19:24:08Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > And just like that, we have another “Bush is stupid” then “Oh nuh uh!” thread. Not anymore we don’t. Since we’ve already had loads of threads about that and we’ll have many more in the future, it’s overwith for this thread. Back on topic, I remember reading somewhere that the George Bushes sometimes call _each other_ “41” and “43” as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230/20 "2009-09-01T22:16:56Z")
Bush the Elder is the term I prefer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-41-did-i-miss-a-memo/508230.md?page=2)