# Is Bush stupid or malignant? I can't decide. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 2, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705 "2006-03-02T01:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/81 "2006-03-03T14:37:59Z")
Oh wait. After some searching, I see the White House released a three page statement. Can somebody link to it? ---
**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:** [March 3, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/82 "2006-03-03T14:41:22Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > I would too, except that it seems exceptionally easy to do. Apart from tax cuts for the wealthy, what has Bush been able to deliver for his base? What have they gotten that makes up for everything else? What else do they want? More tax breaks. There’s always room for more tax cuts in their view. Clamping down on individual bankruptcy. Less environmental restrictions. He wasn’t able to bust Social Security yet but he’s working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/83 "2006-03-03T14:46:31Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Nary a peep from the administration. He’s too busy making speeches in India saying things like > [@Bush](#): > > They target democracies because they think we are weak and they think we can be frightened and retreat I vote for Malignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/84 "2006-03-03T14:59:47Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > He’s too busy making speeches in India saying things like > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **Bush** > > _They target democracies because they think we are weak and they think we can be frightened and retreat._ > > I vote for Malignorant. In other news, Bush gives India a pass on signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but not before [extracting important concessions](http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1639845,001302100000.htm) from the world’s largest democracy > [@](#): > > “The US is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes,” said Bush as a smiling Manmohan Singh nodded in approval. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/85 "2006-03-03T15:13:51Z")
Not _this_ U.S.er. I’m not going to be a mango buyer until the botanists come up with a freestone variety ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/86 "2006-03-03T17:30:50Z")
Because I know we’re all so dedicated to the truth rather than circle-jerking around our agendas, we should at least consider this story from the NO Times-Picayune: > [@](#): > > Transcripts of calls from the days before the storm and the days afterward have surfaced as part of House and Senate investigations into the slow government response to Katrina. But the transcript for the Aug. 29 conference call, initiated about six hours after the storm hit, had been missing. An official with the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the call had been recorded by one of the participants and only recently came to light. > > ``` > During the call, which began at noon, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown says that he had already spoken to President Bush twice that day. > > "He remains very, very interested in this situation," Brown said. "He's obviously watching the television a lot, and he had some questions about the Dome, he's asking questions about reports of breaches. He's asking about hospitals. He's very engaged, and he's asking a lot of really good questions I would expect him to ask." > > Later in the call, White House aide Joe Hagin asks specifically about the condition of the levees. Gov. Kathleen Blanco tells him that no failures were confirmed -- yet. > > "We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Blanco said. "I think we have not breached the levee. We have not breached the levee at this point in time. That could change, but in some places we have floodwaters coming in New Orleans East and the line at St. Bernard Parish where we have waters that are 8- to 10-feet deep, and we have people swimming in there, that's got a considerable amount of water." > > ``` > > In fact, the record shows that the White House had been fully engaged in the disaster and had repeatedly asked for updates. Brown himself notes (and NBC did report this) that Bush had personally called him twice that day, and it was still only noon. The White House also followed the media reports closely, demanding to know whether the reported breaches had actually occurred. (The fact that the media could not be trusted to get the story straight was later proven when the hysterical reporting about cannibalism, murders, and toxic flood waters all turned out to be false.) What answer did the White House get? The local and state authorities told them that nothing had happened, and that the flooding so far had come from the storm itself and not the lake. For more right wingnut bias on the situation: [http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/006441.php](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/006441.php) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/87 "2006-03-03T18:17:46Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Because I know we’re all so dedicated to the truth rather than circle-jerking around our agendas, we should at least consider this story from the NO Times-Picayune: > > For more right wingnut bias on the situation: > > [Captain's Quarters](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/006441.php) [http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline](http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline) > [@](#): > > Sunday, August 28 > … > 9:30 AM CDT — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS: “We’re facing the storm most of us have feared,” said Nagin. “This is going to be an unprecedented event.” [Times-Picayune] > > AFTERNOON — BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR: Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center: “‘We were briefing them way before landfall. … It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped.’” [Times-Picayune; St. Petersburg Times] > > 4PM CDT – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL HURRICANE WARNING: In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, “Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed. … Power outages will last for weeks. … Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards.” [National Weather Service] > > LATE PM – REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE: “Waves crashed atop the exercise path on the Lake Pontchartrain levee in Kenner early Monday as Katrina churned closer.” [Times-Picayune] > > APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36 HOURS WORTH OF FOOD [Times-Picayune] > > LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD REQUESTS 700 BUSES FROM FEMA FOR EVACUATIONS: FEMA sends only 100 buses. [Boston Globe] > > Monday, August 29 > 7AM CDT – KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN] > > 8AM CDT – MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING OVER LEVEE: “I’ve gotten reports this morning that there is already water coming over some of the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward, we’ve had one of our pumping stations to stop operating, so we will have significant flooding, it is just a matter of how much.” [NBC’s “Today Show”] > > MORNING — BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION: “I spoke to Mike Chertoff today — he’s the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue [immigration], so we got us an airplane on — a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor? He said, you bet we are.” [White House] Around this time we have (if what that blog site reports is correct): “He remains very, very interested in this situation,” Brown said. “He’s obviously watching the television a lot, and he had some questions about the Dome, he’s asking questions about reports of breaches. He’s asking about hospitals. **He’s very engaged** , and he’s asking a lot of really good questions I would expect him to ask.” Well, how engaged he was? > [@](#): > > MORNING – \*\*BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN \*\* [White House] > > 11AM CDT — MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT DHS DISPATCH 1,000 EMPLOYEES TO REGION, **GIVES THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE** : “Brown’s memo to Chertoff described Katrina as ‘this near catastrophic event’ but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, ‘Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities.’” [AP] > > LATE MORNING – LEVEE BREACHED: “A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north.” [Times-Picayune] > > 11AM CDT — **BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “This new bill I signed says, if you’re a senior and you like the way things are today, you’re in good shape, don’t change. But, by the way, there’s a lot of different options for you. And we’re here to talk about what that means to our seniors.”** [White House] > > 4:30PM CDT — \*\*BUSH TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA SENIOR CENTER TO DISCUSS MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “We’ve got some folks up here who are concerned about their Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with us. … I could tell — she was looking at me when I first walked in the room to meet her, she was wondering whether or not old George W. is going to take away her Social Security check.” \*\* [White House] > > 8PM CDT — RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL GAME: Rumsfeld “joined Padres President John Moores in the owner’s box…at Petco Park.” [Editor & Publisher] > > 8PM CDT – GOV. BLANCO AGAIN REQUESTS ASSISTANCE FROM BUSH: “Mr. President, we need your help. We need everything you’ve got.” [Newsweek] > > LATE PM – \*\*BUSH GOES TO BED WITHOUT ACTING ON BLANCO’S REQUESTS \*\* [Newsweek] How telling it was that at the time he was supposed to protect America he was more engaged in telling America to support the highway robbery the Medicare medicine plan was. But next day he will show how engaged he is, no? > [@](#): > > Tuesday, August 30 > 11AM CDT – BUSH SPEAKS ON IRAQ AT NAVAL BASE CORONADO [White House] > > … > > 2PM CDT – PRESIDENT BUSH PLAYS GUITAR WITH COUNTRY SINGER MARK WILLIS [AP] > > BUSH RETURNS TO CRAWFORD FOR FINAL NIGHT OF VACATION [AP] I will say it again: the Timeline Avoidance System (TAS) works great for right wingnuts, accept no substitutes! ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/88 "2006-03-03T19:18:23Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Because I know we’re all so dedicated to the truth rather than circle-jerking around our agendas, we should at least consider this story from the NO Times-Picayune: > > > [@](#): > > > > Transcripts of calls from the days before the storm and the days afterward have surfaced as part of House and Senate investigations into the slow government response to Katrina. But the transcript for the Aug. 29 conference call, initiated about six hours after the storm hit, had been missing. An official with the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the call had been recorded by one of the participants and only recently came to light. > > > > During the call, which began at noon, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown says that he had already spoken to President Bush twice that day. > > > > “He remains very, very interested in this situation,” Brown said. “He’s obviously watching the television a lot, and he had some questions about the Dome, he’s asking questions about reports of breaches. He’s asking about hospitals. He’s very engaged, and he’s asking a lot of really good questions I would expect him to ask.” > > > > Later in the call, White House aide Joe Hagin asks specifically about the condition of the levees. Gov. Kathleen Blanco tells him that no failures were confirmed – yet. > > > > “We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees,” Blanco said. “I think we have not breached the levee. We have not breached the levee at this point in time. That could change, but in some places we have floodwaters coming in New Orleans East and the line at St. Bernard Parish where we have waters that are 8- to 10-feet deep, and we have people swimming in there, that’s got a considerable amount of water.” > > > > In fact, the record shows that the White House had been fully engaged in the disaster and had repeatedly asked for updates. Brown himself notes (and NBC did report this) that Bush had personally called him twice that day, and it was still only noon. The White House also followed the media reports closely, demanding to know whether the reported breaches had actually occurred. (The fact that the media could not be trusted to get the story straight was later proven when the hysterical reporting about cannibalism, murders, and toxic flood waters all turned out to be false.) What answer did the White House get? The local and state authorities told them that nothing had happened, and that the flooding so far had come from the storm itself and not the lake. > > For more right wingnut bias on the situation: > > [Captain's Quarters](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/006441.php) Suppose it is granted that GW asked “How are things going?” after the storm made landfall. This is entirely different from asking questions in order to assure yourself that the planners knew what they were doing during the prestorm planning/briefing sessions. In the former case it’s merely finding out if the plans worked. In the latter case it’s exposing gaps in the planning while there is still some time do do something about them. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/89 "2006-03-03T21:13:07Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > Because I know we’re all so dedicated to the truth rather than circle-jerking around our agendas, we should at least consider this story from the NO Times-Picayune: > > > [@](#): > > > > During the call, which began at noon, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown says that he had already spoken to President Bush twice that day. > > > > “He remains very, very interested in this situation,” Brown said. “He’s obviously watching the television a lot, and he had some questions about the Dome, he’s asking questions about reports of breaches. He’s asking about hospitals. He’s very engaged, and he’s asking a lot of really good questions I would expect him to ask.” Since we’re all so dedicated to the truth rather than circle-jerking around our agendas, we should at least consider whether the President’s defenders have been able to produce any of these transcripts where Bush asks these “really good questions.” Because this is one of those recurrent talking points of the White House insiders: that Bush asks all these great questions. But no outsiders have ever been able to catch him in the act, AFAICT. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/90 "2006-03-04T01:47:27Z")
[Kevin Drum asks](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2006_03/008333.php), “In any case, how about releasing _all_ the transcripts of White House conversations regarding Katrina during the first few days of the disaster? Or does executive privilege only count for stuff that makes the president look bad?” I for one would like to see some **evidence** for all these penetrating questions that the President’s aides keep telling us about. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/91 "2006-03-04T02:09:16Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > I would too, except that it seems exceptionally easy to do. Apart from tax cuts for the wealthy, what has Bush been able to deliver for his base? What have they gotten that makes up for everything else? Bush has delivered plenty for his base. The economic fundamentalists have gotten budget-busting tax cuts and the religious fundamentalists have received jaw-jaw. Which at bottom is what they really want. Also, Bush has been careful to play a strong leader on TV to the maximum extent possible. Witness his Hollywood cowboy act. Note his reluctance to admit mistakes: it polls poorly, confuses his base and may cause a certain share of the generally disengaged swing voters to peel off. (Though in cases of telegenically transparent incompetence --such as Katrina-- admitting error was mandatory. Still, W deserves credit for holding off on this task for ~5 years.) Remember, the modern conservative is in it for the emotions and feelings of ideology, and not substantive policy discussion. Hence the emphasis on personal attacks, moral umbrage at miscreants (and sometimes minorities, depending upon the individual), flag- waving nationalism and obtuse word games. Business conservatives and the professional class are another kettle of fish, but they’re trending Democratic anyway (witness the state of NJ). * * * Before W, politicians pursued the base during the primaries and the swing vote during the main election. Bush/Rove had the insight, fortitude, discipline and moral cowardice to carry off an entirely different strategy. They deserve our qualified admiration. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/92 "2006-03-04T08:14:03Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Remember, the modern conservative is in it for the emotions and feelings of ideology, and not substantive policy discussion. Sooooo… the Republican Party is a cult? Sure woould explain a lot. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/93 "2006-03-04T12:38:34Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > What’s the Department of Defense for? That just cracked me up when ‘journalist’ John Dickerson [offered it as evidence of Bush’s incisive questions](http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1214). (Yeah, that’s me at comment #17, fwiw.) Upcoming penetrating Presidential questions: “Why do we have police?” “What are roads for?” “This thing called a ‘fork’ to the left of my plate - what am I supposed to do with that?” ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/94 "2006-03-04T14:58:59Z")
I finally saw the video. There is no doubt in my mind, that Bush was being warned that Katraina would be bad -real bad. His comment after the storm hit, regardless of how we hear it - “nobody anticipated” vs. “nobody could have anticipated” - tells me that he was trying to cover his ass, while also telling us all that we are stupid. I don’t care what the exact wording was, Bush was telling us that nobody had any idea what was happening - that’s a lie in my book. Likewise I don’t care about the fine semantic shadings of overtopping, overflowing, and breaching. That sort of quibble makes no difference to me. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/95 "2006-03-04T19:33:08Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > Like momma always said, an apologist is as an apologist does. 🙂 Amongst others. I think that friend **Johm** would largely agree with our assessment of GeeDub as a shit-witted nincompoop with delusions of competence. He simply disapproves of Bush-bashing. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/96 "2006-03-04T20:02:51Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Amongst others. I think that friend **Johm** would largely agree with our assessment of GeeDub as a shit-witted nincompoop with delusions of competence. He simply disapproves of Bush-bashing. He is entitled to his opinion, but I find it almost impossible not to play “Gotcha” almost every time Bush does (or doesn’t do) something. I can’t stand our pres. It’s that simple. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/97 "2006-03-04T21:53:36Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > That just cracked me up when ‘journalist’ John Dickerson [offered it as evidence of Bush’s incisive questions](http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1214). (Yeah, that’s me at comment #17, fwiw.) > > Upcoming penetrating Presidential questions: > “Why do we have police?” > “What are roads for?” > “This thing called a ‘fork’ to the left of my plate - what am I supposed to do with that?” Amusing, but I always am a little wary of the “Bush is dumb” line of attack. It’s inaccurate and it doesn’t swing any votes, since most can distinguish between decision-making skills and mild dyslexia. Bush isn’t dumb: he’s a political hack with a short attention span. A more comprehensive description would be [a Bad CEO](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7144519&postcount=49). > [@](#): > > Originally posted by somebody named RT [here](http://www.btcnews.com/btcnews/1214) > And that’s fully consistent with everything else we know about this administration. They, as a group, from the President on down, arrived in this town knowing what they believe about everything; they didn’t need to ask questions, because they were already in possession of the Holy Writ, wingnut version. The only question was, how much of their orthodoxy could they implement? When the empirical world is treated as [irrelevant](http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0309.marshall.html) all that remains is ideology and loyalty. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/98 "2006-03-04T22:14:56Z")
> [@Measure for Measure](#): > > Amusing, but I always am a little wary of the “Bush is dumb” line of attack. It’s inaccurate and it doesn’t swing any votes, since most can distinguish between decision-making skills and mild dyslexia. I agree that Bush isn’t dumb. And though I really don’t expect his supporters to come up with any examples of his asking penetrating questions that they’d want to see on the front pages of the newspapers, the true target of my lampooning there was Dickerson, and what his standards seem to have been. (And I’m going to hope and pray that Bush didn’t actually ask the question he cites.) > [@](#): > > Bush isn’t dumb: he’s a political hack with a short attention span. A more comprehensive description would be [a Bad CEO](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7144519&postcount=49). Well, that too. But I’m willing to give him his due in this: he’s a very bright and perceptive political hack. He’s still won just about every political fight of any importance to him. He lost on Social Security Deform, but it took a maximum Dem effort to make that happen; he lost on Harriet Miers, but turned around and won on Alito, so overall, even that was a W. But he’s gotten piles of tax cuts through; he finally got the massive energy subsidy bill he wanted, and so on. He even got the war he wanted, unfortunately. I’m of the belief that Bush is somewhere in between not caring whether government works, and not sorry to see it fail, and I think how the Executive Branch has (not) worked under him reflects this. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705/99 "2006-03-04T22:37:29Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Amongst others. I think that friend **Johm** would largely agree with our assessment of GeeDub as a shit-witted nincompoop with delusions of competence. I probably wouldn’t put it exactly that way, but it’s close enough for government work. 🙂 > [@](#): > > He simply disapproves of Bush-bashing. I do? > [@John Mace](#): > > Like I said, if want to bash Bush about this, bash away. He deserves it. What I disaprove of is deliberately misquoting someone, in this case Bush. I’m surprised it isn’t against the board rules, or at least it doesn’t seem to be. In fact, I don’t see why it’s not considered posting “material that you know or should know is false”, which is against the rules. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bush-stupid-or-malignant-i-cant-decide/346705.md?page=4)