Is Bush as stupid as everyone thinks?
the soft pink truth | 26.06.2002 14:28
In any divorce, there are three sides: his side, her side and the truth. This is equally applicable to Israel and Palestine. It's a shame then that Governor Bush chooses to split the world into goodies and baddies. This empty-headed fool is blatantly exploited by those he places around himself. And when not properly programmed by his staff, his statements are likely to be so outlandish as to be considered aberrations, should anyone take them seriously at all.
Or so conventional European thinking goes.
Yesterday's speech -- a new low point in US governance by all accounts -- nakedly entrenches Arafat's position in government. A disaster! we cry. Idiots! we parrot. But I for one never fully bought the idea that Bush was such an idiot. And it greatly underestimates the US administration's collective intelligence to suggest that the effect of yesterday's speech -- middle east conflict ad infinitum -- is not the intended one. The idea that the continuation of this struggle is in Bush and General Sharon's interests has received no attention.
Either way, yesterday's speech is the best possible PR for the Palestinian cause in Europe!
Or so conventional European thinking goes.
Yesterday's speech -- a new low point in US governance by all accounts -- nakedly entrenches Arafat's position in government. A disaster! we cry. Idiots! we parrot. But I for one never fully bought the idea that Bush was such an idiot. And it greatly underestimates the US administration's collective intelligence to suggest that the effect of yesterday's speech -- middle east conflict ad infinitum -- is not the intended one. The idea that the continuation of this struggle is in Bush and General Sharon's interests has received no attention.
Either way, yesterday's speech is the best possible PR for the Palestinian cause in Europe!
the soft pink truth
Comments
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Difficult to say, really
26.06.2002 15:18
who can say ? ultimately, its up to his politburo to decide if he's in control or not; if he really is stupid, he wont be able to stop the others from carving up their own power bases. tip: if you want to ask how dominating ANY historical leader was, look to see how many infamous names appeared from under him. if none, chances are he ran the show, but if several, its probable he didnt have a grip on things.
R D Rewsder
he is
26.06.2002 17:43
sad
will the real slim shady please stand up
26.06.2002 19:02
this world is fucked, the american christian right are intent on bringing their vision of armegeddon to us all
check out http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020701/
look at the poll results, we are fucked if so many brainwashed american people believe in this shit
stock market or near-economic collapse usually require a major shake up to fix, this usually comes in the form of war (or resource grab, to fund the monster that is the greed of nations)
anyway i will post a more constructive argument at a later date, just to say the people of the world are with palestine (as has been demonstrated in the anti racist un meeting last year, and un resolution passed many times over), america keeps fucking it up for the arab people, and anyone who wants a level playing field
fy nwo
Soft pink truth.
27.06.2002 00:36
Please lady o' mine, you're straddling the fence here. Be carefull to not get weak knees and bruise that Soft pink truth on a pickett.
Amlong
Stupidity = Patriotic
27.06.2002 02:38
Historically, middle America has an inate distrust of 'smartass' intellectuals. The prevailing attitude of mainstream American Christian conservatism is that clever, articulate people are devious and somehow 'un-American'. The majority of Americans regard Bush as an example of an all-American home boy, with the same patriotic values and objectives as them. The fact that he's been cossetted by a wealthy family; never had to do a proper day's work in his life, and gained power through having the right connections rather than by his own efforts, seems, amazingly, not to have undermined the belief that George W. is a 'regular guy' just like everybody else.
The over 70% of Americans who think Bush is doing a good job are supported in their delusion by the mainstream media which, since the 2000 elections, has gone out of its way to portray Bush as being a good deal more shrewd than he appears; stressing that verbal inarticulacy and ignorance of international affairs is not necessarily indicative of lack of intelligence and questionable political acumen.
This is bollocks of course. Bush is every bit as clueless, weak, narrow, ignorant and incompetent as he appears. And he's in good company - the average IQs of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, et al, would make a group of lobotomised estate agents seem pretty sharp by comparison.
So, my response to the question "is Bush as stupid as everyone [sic] thinks he is?"... No, he's a lot more stupid than that. And stupidity and power is a dangerous combination.
Aardvark