George W. thinking on his feet

Factual Questions
41

[QUOTE=mstay]
I’ve seen clips of Bush speaking seemingly impromptu while governor of Texas in debates and to the press and he spoke swiftly, clearly, and intelligently (well, you may disagree with his positions, but he didn’t sound like a nervous 7th grader giving a speech).

I tried to find some youtube clips but alas. I remember seeing a good one from a debate of some sort which made my jaw drop at how lucid he was.

I’ve seen two arguments put forth – either he adopted an “awww shucks” demeanor to woo the “I’d like to have a beer with him” vote or he is exhibiting early signs of some sort of neurological disorder related to aging or past substance abuse. Maybe it’s a little of column A, a little from column B…
[/QUOTE]

I think he does allright with stuff he’s prepared for and has thought through, but not so well otherwise. (The most famous instance of the latter, of course, it that presser a couple of years back where a reporter asked him to name some mistakes he had made, and the hamsters in his head just plain seized up.)

42

Uh, when it comes to the radio transmitter stuff, don’t we actually have radio transmitters that are smaller than a bullet proof vest, or even a small notebook? For krise sake, the CIA must have smaller devices that he could use if he were really intent upon listening to his handlers. Much as I like the concept, I doubt that it’s true. I can’t for the life of me explain why he looks and seems like he’s tuned in to something or somebody else, but on the other hand, that’s W. Hence, that is what underlies the humor in Frank Caliendo’s bit about “inside words” and “outside words.” He just doesn’t have a clue.