# obgyn love - what did George Bush mean to say? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053 "2009-06-08T00:07:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/1 "2009-06-08T00:07:04Z")
I know this is old. And I know the information is out there, but I tried googling and just get a lot of videos of him saying it. I only just found out what an obgyn is (why should I know? IANA medical professional) so It twigged why this was a bushism. I always assumed it was silly because Bush didn’t really know what an OBGYN is. I assume that’s still the case… or is Bush actually saying in a very weird way - OBGYNS should be allowed to, erm, enjoy their job. But if that’s the case - why single them out? So what’s the deal? Did bush know what an OBGYN is? Did he mean to say what he said? And if not… what is the theory on what he thought he was trying to say? And on another note, did Gordon Brown really call Omaha beach “Obama Beach”?? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/2 "2009-06-08T00:18:25Z")
The quote was something like “Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN’s aren’t able to practice their love with women all across the country.” It’s a reference to the skyrocketing costs of malpractice insurance (Ob/Gyns are hit particularly hard) which are causing many physicians not to be able to continue practicing the way they would want to (many Ob/Gyns are no longer doing obstetrics for instance). It’s the ‘love with women’ that makes it a Bushism. He should’ve said ‘love for women’s medicine’ which would have been more appropriate since you really don’t want your doctor to be practicing their love with women. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/3 "2009-06-08T01:06:22Z")
Most people in the U.S., especially those that have children know what an OB/GYN is. Those doctors are having a really tough time in some states because their liability insurance can be in the 6 figures a year. New parents aren’t happy when their newborn shows up with a defect and they need someone to blame. That is why C-sections are so common in the U.S. They tend to be safer than extended labor so the doctors often just say the hell with it at some point and cut and yank that baby out. OB/GYN’s sometimes get fed up and drop the OB part and focus on the less risky gynecological practice. That is an area where they really do need help. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/4 "2009-06-08T02:53:26Z")
the word he was looking for was “expertise.” ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/5 "2009-06-08T03:03:29Z")
First time I had seen the context. I would say the intended phrase would be closer to “…practice the profession they love, with women…” Still not the most elegant phrase but at least less ambiguous. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/6 "2009-06-08T03:47:54Z")
I don’t think any sentence that contains the terms “OB/GYN” and “love” is going to sound the way he meant it to sound. Better to just say “provide medical care to women across the country”. _“What’s love got to do, got to do with it?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/7 "2009-06-08T04:12:49Z")
_“What’s love got to do, got to do with it?”_ [/QUOTE] Perfect! ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/8 "2009-06-08T17:40:03Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > That is why C-sections are so common in the U.S. They tend to be safer than extended labor so the doctors often just say the hell with it at some point and cut and yank that baby out. They’re presumed safer. Statistics don’t actually bear that out. But the mantra amongst OB/GYNs and their usurious insurers is “no one gets sued for the c-section they did, they get sued for the c-section they didn’t do.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/9 "2009-06-08T17:46:57Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > They’re presumed safer. Statistics don’t actually bear that out. But the mantra amongst OB/GYNs and their usurious insurers is “no one gets sued for the c-section they did, they get sued for the c-section they didn’t do.” Or the c-section they did too late. One of my friends has a severely disabled child because the c-section she ended up getting came about 45 minutes too late. Now, to be honest, she had a list of pregnancy complications as long as my arm and found a midwife willing to deliver vaginally - which took some shopping around - because she believed that the medical community performs too many c-sections and that vaginal birth in her case would be just as safe. But the supervising OB still got sued and his insurance company will pay out millions of dollars over the course of my friend’s daughter’s life for a c-section that was done too late. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/10 "2009-06-08T17:52:46Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > And if not… what is the theory on what he thought he was trying to say? Do you recall his father saying, in reference to Ronald Reagan, “We’ve had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We’ve had some sex … uh … setbacks.” ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/11 "2009-06-08T17:53:34Z")
But yes, Gordon Brown did call “Omaha” Beach “Obama” Beach. He has had a rough week. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obgyn-love-what-did-george-bush-mean-to-say/499053/12 "2009-06-08T18:07:04Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Do you recall his father saying, in reference to Ronald Reagan, “We’ve had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We’ve had some sex … uh … setbacks.” I think he wanted to say “success” here, but realized that that word conveyed the opposite of what he meant.