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#1
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Bush dumb AND stupid?
Can Bush Be Both Ignorant and a Liar?
Yes. There's no reason for Bush-bashers to choose between the two. By Timothy Noah Posted Monday, June 23, 2003, at 2:31 PM PT Is President Bush a liar? The New York Times' David Rosenbaum examined this question with a surfeit of post-Howell-Raines fair-mindedness in the June 22 "Week in Review" section. His bottom line: "[A] review of the president's public statements found little that could lead to a conclusion that the president actually lied" in two particular instances. The first was when Bush claimed he knew Saddam Hussein to possess large quantities of chemical and biological weapons. The second was when Bush claimed that his tax cut would provide tax relief for everyone who pays income taxes. In both instances, Chatterbox is baffled by Rosenbaum's doubt. Let's address Bush's tax claim first. Its falsity is not in dispute. Chatterbox has written elsewhere that Bush lied when he said, "My jobs and growth plan would reduce tax rates for everyone who pays income tax." (The Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center found 8.1 million people who pay taxes but will receive no tax cuts.) Rosenbaum recognized that Bush's statement was untrue but expressed doubt that Bush knew it to be untrue. Can a false statement be a lie if the speaker is unaware it is a lie? That leads us immediately to a second question, one that Rosenbaum dared not address: Why is the speaker unaware that his statement is a lie? In Bush's case, the answer is painfully obvious. It's because Bush is a functionally not-bright man. As Chatterbox has explained elsewhere, it's impossible to tell—and, ultimately, of little interest—whether Bush lacks the necessary mental equipment, or whether he's simply incurious. The end result is the same. Even Bush's allies concede that Bush is strikingly ignorant. In the July Vanity Fair, Sam Tanenhaus quoted Richard Perle as saying that when he first met Bush, it was "clear" that "he didn't know very much." Perle went on to argue (with what he failed to recognize as condescension) that Bush is an eager pupil. But there isn't much evidence to support even that. It's often said that Bush has the virtue of self-awareness, that he knows what he doesn't know. That's probably true. But if it is true, then Bush really oughtn't to go around making sweeping statements that he hasn't made any effort to verify. When these statements turn out to be untrue, Bush's feigned certainty alone justifies calling these statements lies. They may not be the sort of lies a clever person (say, Bill Clinton) would tell. Indeed, many left-of-center commentators (Paul Krugman and Eric Alterman come to mind) refuse to admit that Bush is dumb, presumably because they fear that would make it impossible to hold him accountable for terrible things that he and his administration do. (Many felt the same way about Reagan.) But there's no reason Bush can't be thought of as both stupid and a liar. As Slate's Michael Kinsley has noted, Bush's lies are typically lies of laziness: "If telling the truth was less bother, [he'd] try that too." Saying that Bush lacks much on the ball does not mean that he never lies the way clever people do. Surely, for instance, Bush is aware on some level that it has yet to be proved that Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons stashed away prior to the war. In addressing this question, Rosenbaum let Bush off the hook by focusing on what he said before the war began, e.g., "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised." Like Rosenbaum, Chatterbox is eager to cut Bush some slack on this, if only because Chatterbox, too, was convinced prior to the war that the presence of biological and chemical weapons had been proved. (Click here and here to read two columns Chatterbox now wishes he'd never written.) But Rosenbaum never considered what Bush said on Polish television after the war ended: We've found the weapons of mass destruction. You know, we found biological laboratories. You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world and he said Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons. They're illegal. They're against the United Nations' resolutions and we've so far discovered two. And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. In fact, it has yet to be proved that the two mobile labs were used (or even designed to be used) to build biological weapons. It isn't possible that Bush fails to grasp that. So, why did he say something so obviously untrue? Chatterbox posed the question to The Nation's David Corn, who has written extensively on the question of Bush's veracity. In Corn's view, the key to Bush's lies isn't necessarily that he doesn't know any better, but that he doesn't care. "He mischaracterizes situations to fit his pattern of thinking," Corn explained. "Does he believe he's lying? I don't know." But "he still should be held accountable, whether he made a mistake of this nature in good faith or in bad faith." Amen. |
#2
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid?
"Bobsprit" wrote in message ...
Can Bobsprit Be Both Ignorant and a Liar? Yes. There's no reason for Bobsprit bashers to choose between the two. By Timothy Noah Posted Monday, June 23, 2003, at 2:31 PM PT Is Bobsprit a liar? The New York Times' David Rosenbaum examined this question with a surfeit of post-Howell-Raines fair-mindedness in the June 22 "Week in Review" section. His bottom line: "[A] review of Bobsprit's public statements found overwhelming evidence that could lead to a conclusion that Bobsprit actually lied" in every post. The first was when Bobsprit claimed he doesn't lie. The second was when Bobsprit claimed that has a boat. In both instances it has been proven beyond a doubt that Bobsprit lied. Let's address Bobpprit's "I don't lie" claim first. Its falsity is not in dispute. all subscribers have noticed Bobsprit is a chonic liar and an even bigger moron and fat buffoon. Can a false statement be a lie if the speaker is unaware it is a lie? In Bobsprit's case he knows he is lying. He does it on purpose because he is a chronic. That leads us immediately to a second question - Why does Bobsprit lie about having a sailboat? Why is Bobsprit unaware that his claiming to have and sail a boat is a lie? In Bobsprit's case, the answer is painfully obvious. It's because Bobsprit is a functionally not-bright asshole. It's impossible to tell—and, ultimately, of little interest—whether Bobsprit lacks the necessary mental equipment, or whether he's simply an asshole. The end result is the same. Even Bobsprit's allies concede that Bobsprit is strikingly ignorant. It's often said that Bobsprit has the virtue of self-awareness, that he knows what he doesn't lie. That's patently false. Bobsprit knows he's a liar and lies at every opportunity. S.Simon |
#3
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid?
"Bobsprit" wrote in message ...
Can Bobsprit Be Both Ignorant and a Liar? Yes. There's no reason for Bobsprit bashers to choose between the two. By Timothy Noah Posted Monday, June 23, 2003, at 2:31 PM PT Is Bobsprit a liar? The New York Times' David Rosenbaum examined this question with a surfeit of post-Howell-Raines fair-mindedness in the June 22 "Week in Review" section. His bottom line: "[A] review of Bobsprit's public statements found overwhelming evidence that could lead to a conclusion that Bobsprit actually lied" in every post. The first was when Bobsprit claimed he doesn't lie. The second was when Bobsprit claimed that has a boat. In both instances it has been proven beyond a doubt that Bobsprit lied. Let's address Bobpprit's "I don't lie" claim first. Its falsity is not in dispute. all subscribers have noticed Bobsprit is a chonic liar and an even bigger moron and fat buffoon. Can a false statement be a lie if the speaker is unaware it is a lie? In Bobsprit's case he knows he is lying. He does it on purpose because he is a chronic. That leads us immediately to a second question - Why does Bobsprit lie about having a sailboat? Why is Bobsprit unaware that his claiming to have and sail a boat is a lie? In Bobsprit's case, the answer is painfully obvious. It's because Bobsprit is a functionally not-bright asshole. It's impossible to tell—and, ultimately, of little interest—whether Bobsprit lacks the necessary mental equipment, or whether he's simply an asshole. The end result is the same. Even Bobsprit's allies concede that Bobsprit is strikingly ignorant. It's often said that Bobsprit has the virtue of self-awareness, that he knows what he doesn't lie. That's patently false. Bobsprit knows he's a liar and lies at every opportunity. S.Simon |
#4
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid?
Looks like Neal is having sockpuppet problems!
Bwahahahaha! What a beating! RB |
#5
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
"Bobsprit" wrote in message ... Looks like Neal is having sockpuppet problems! Bwahahahaha! What a beating! I wish you'd quit talking about your favorite method of pleasuring yourself. S.Simon |
#6
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
I wish you'd quit talking about your favorite method of
pleasuring yourself. Trouncing you and your illiterate president IS my pleasure! Sadly, he's also a killer of Americans. RB |
#7
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
Strange how a so-called 'illiterate' holds a higher degree
than you do. S.Simon "Bobsprit" wrote in message ... I wish you'd quit talking about your favorite method of pleasuring yourself. Trouncing you and your illiterate president IS my pleasure! |
#8
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
And, you are even stupider than Bobsprit.
The President's MBA degree is from Harvard, not Yale. Binary Bill - just another ignorant democrat loser . . . "Scant attention was paid during the 2000 campaign to Bush's MBA degree from Harvard. Bush did not emphasize his stint at Harvard because dwelling on it would have undermined his carefully cultivated pedigree as an anti-elitist Texan. "In hindsight, it is telling that Bush did not panic and purge his senior staff after losing the New Hampshire primary. Nor did the GOP nominee undermine the authority of Rove and his team after Gore surged ahead in the polls after the Democratic Convention. "Loyalty, as Bush knows, is a two-way street. Our first MBA president grasps basic truths about how praise and simple thank-yous help build a cohesive team. He understands that 18-hour days should not be seen as a badge of honor among staffers, but rather should be viewed as a symptom of a chaotic White House." from: http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/2...6/4680650s.htm S.Simon wrote in message ... On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 17:03:12 -0500, "Simple Simon" wrote: Strange how a so-called 'illiterate' holds a higher degree than you do. Amazing what being the grandson of Prescott Bush can do for you at Yale. BumbleBush could never have even gotten into Yale on his own merits. BB |
#9
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
My boat has yellow topsides with a blue stripe with red trim.
It is ever so much comelier and original than your unoriginal color scheme. But, this has little or nothing to do with politics. I do feel sorry for the average, moderate Democrat. Their political party has been hijacked by left-wingers who are taking the party into liberal territory where sensible Democrats are loathe to follow. They are running a gaggle of idiot and unqualified candidates for the nomination and these people to a man and to a woman are losers. Mr. Dean who seems to have the lead at this point is unelectable. The others are not even nominateable. So, what's a moderate Democrat to do? Vote Independent, Republican or stay home. It will be noted that many disenfranchised Democrats will vote in 2004 for Mr. Bush who has done one fine job leading the country in perilous times. The screaming of a bunch of leftist rabble do nothing but hurt the cause of reasonable Democrats. S.Simon wrote in message ... \ I'm not a Democrat. I'm a Hot Damn Yankee PROGRESSIVE Democrat - Just like all real Americans who really believe in what this country was created for. You are a fascist and a disgrace, and about as counter to the founding ideals of the U.S as you could be. My sailboat's color scheme, inside and out, is a proud red, white, and blue. What color is your boat? BB |
#10
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Bobsprit dumb AND stupid and fat?
I fly the flag and am proud to be an American. I've
fought for my country in the Army. Can you claim the same or are you just another wannabe who's all talk and no action? You sound more like one of those pain-in-the-ass anarchists than a patriot. S.Simon wrote in message ... On Fri, 21 Nov 2003 18:07:22 -0500, "Simple Simon" wrote: My boat has yellow topsides with a blue stripe with red trim. It is ever so much comelier and original than your unoriginal color scheme. My colors don't run. Not surprised to hear your un-American ass admit that you hate our flag. BB |
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