NWFlyer 2 #1 January 14, 2009 From Slate magazine: http://www.slate.com/id/2208132/ QuoteBeing able to laugh at yourself is a rare quality in a leader. It's one thing George W. Bush can do that Bill Clinton couldn't. Unfortunately, as we bid farewell to Bushisms, we must conclude that the joke was mainly on us. 1. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."—Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 2. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."—Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000 3. "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"—Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000 4. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."—Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004 5. "Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican."—declining to answer reporters' questions at the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April 21, 2001 6. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''—Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001 7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense."—Washington, D.C., April 18, 2006 8. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."—Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005 9. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."—discussing former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as quoted by the Sun newspaper, June 27, 2007 10. "And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008 11. "We ought to make the pie higher."—South Carolina Republican debate, Feb. 15, 2000 12. "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 13. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."—speaking on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007 14. "We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."—Houston, Sept. 6, 2000 15. "It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000 16. "One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures."—U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 3, 2000 17. "People say, 'How can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil?' You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you."—Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002 18. "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."—CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000 19. "I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep on the soil of a friend."—on the prospect of visiting Denmark, Washington, D.C., June 29, 2005 20. "I think it's really important for this great state of baseball to reach out to people of all walks of life to make sure that the sport is inclusive. The best way to do it is to convince little kids how to—the beauty of playing baseball."—Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2006 21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000 Share this article on Digg Buzz up! Share this article on Buzz 22. "You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war president. No president wants to be a war president, but I am one."—Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 26, 2006 23. "There's a huge trust. I see it all the time when people come up to me and say, 'I don't want you to let me down again.' "—Boston, Oct. 3, 2000 24. "They misunderestimated me."—Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000 25. "I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."—Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #2 January 14, 2009 #4 is my favorite. the transcript doesn't do it justice, its much more entertaining/disturbing watching the video. in his final news conference the other day i'm pretty sure i heard him use "misunderestimate" again. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #3 January 14, 2009 Quote misunderestimated He actually used that one again on his press conference Monday. And NPR played that sound bite Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lastchance 0 #4 January 14, 2009 The man never ceases to amaze me. I'm counting the seconds till he's gone. I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterblaster72 0 #5 January 15, 2009 21. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."—LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000 This one is one of my favorites...deserved much higher than 21. What an injustice! Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #6 January 15, 2009 Quote Quotemisunderestimated He actually used that one again on his press conference Monday... I watched that news conference. He used it quite deliberately, in a self-deprecating way, hence the statement in the introduction of the original post:- QuoteBeing able to laugh at yourself is a rare quality in a leader. It's one thing George W. Bush can do that Bill Clinton couldn't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #7 January 15, 2009 Quote The man never ceases to amaze me. I'm counting the seconds till he's gone. but you'll be living through his legacy for ages to come (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #8 January 15, 2009 I am really gonna miss the excerpts of his speeches that Letterman used to play. Extremely funny stuff." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #9 January 15, 2009 QuoteI am really gonna miss the excerpts of his speeches that Letterman used to play. Between VP-elect Joe Biden and Larry Summers, I suspect the late-night comedians will have plenty of material. /Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 197 #10 January 15, 2009 Quote The man never ceases to amaze me. I'm counting the seconds till he's gone. So you can listen to the uber-eloquent Barack whisper sweet nothings in your ear.Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #11 January 15, 2009 I am heartened by our president elects use of the english language. I know some of our more vociferous posters have continually tried to point out how high GW's IQ was. Based on his use of the language, I have failed to see evidence of such an IQ. I guess it points out what drug abuse and alcoholism will do to the human brain. I truly hope he has many years in which to do some brush clearin out on the ranch. Fro that job I am sure he is highly qualified. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mnealtx 0 #12 January 15, 2009 Quote Quote The man never ceases to amaze me. I'm counting the seconds till he's gone. So you can listen to the uber-eloquent Barack whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Uh, as long as, uh, he has his, uh, teleprompter...Mike I love you, Shannon and Jim. POPS 9708 , SCR 14706 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #13 January 15, 2009 QuoteI am heartened by our president elects use of the english language. I know some of our more vociferous posters have continually tried to point out how high GW's IQ was. Based on his use of the language, I have failed to see evidence of such an IQ. Use, misuse, or limited vocabulary in public speaking is not a very good measure of IQ. By that measure, Dan Q was mentally retarded. He was no Rhodes Scholar, but certainly functional. Don't confuse laziness with intelligence. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #14 January 15, 2009 Comparing GW and Dan Quayle is quite apt.. similar backgrounds...simlar Vietnam avoidance... similar foot in mouth disease. You would think.. that carreer politicians MIGHT get the hang of public speaking after an election or two Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #15 January 16, 2009 Quote Quote Quote The man never ceases to amaze me. I'm counting the seconds till he's gone. So you can listen to the uber-eloquent Barack whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Uh, as long as, uh, he has his, uh, teleprompter... In all seriousness, I think Obama can be quite eloquent extemporaneously. So can McCain, in his own way. Palin - not very good. Needs to (a) work on studying-up on subject matter, and (b) get the golly-gosh out of her rhetoric, so she doesn't sound like a 17-year old cheerleader. Biden - Pretty good, but can't get him to put a f**g sock in it.. Bill Clinton - a master at extemporaneous speech. He's actually better extemporaneously than scripted. Reagan - a first-rate master at scripted speech. But not very good at all at extemporaneous speech where any deep thinking was involved - mainly because he was not a deep thinker; he was an ideologue. G. W. Bush - so bad at extemporaneous speech that, even though he's not an actually idiot, it's painful and embarrassing to listen to him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #16 January 16, 2009 Quote You would think.. that carreer politicians MIGHT get the hang of public speaking after an election or two Why? Nixon never did. Reagan always did. Speaking is more a skill than an acquired experience. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #17 January 16, 2009 QuoteWhy? Nixon never did. Reagan always did. Speaking is more a skill than an acquired experience. Trust me... after 8 years of being an air farce instructor.... I get it... Standing up in front of a group of people and sounding intelligent was always on top of the heap in importance when trying to impart knowledge... to the less knowledgeable. To have politicians.. forrmer college boy officers totally incapable of avoidance of stepping on their tounges and their dicks when trying to make a cohearant speech is just hilarious. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #18 January 16, 2009 Quote....tounges Quote....just hilarious. Indeed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 189 #19 January 16, 2009 QuoteI am heartened by our president elects use of the english language. I know some of our more vociferous posters have continually tried to point out how high GW's IQ was. Based on his use of the language, I have failed to see evidence of such an IQ. I guess it points out what drug abuse and alcoholism will do to the human brain. I truly hope he has many years in which to do some brush clearin out on the ranch. Fro that job I am sure he is highly qualified. Ironicly enough, I think he mentioned something about building a library...Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
philh 0 #20 January 16, 2009 Did I miss my favourite: "more and more of our imports are coming form overseas" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #21 January 16, 2009 First, we had 'Yogi-isms'. Now, we have 'Bush-isms'. At least, Yogi was a good baseball player. Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
