Over at The Volokh Conspiracy, Eugene Volokh often takes issue with Slate's Bushism Of The Day. And rightly so, because most of their "Bushisms" are carefully quoted to show the President in the worst possible light.
This time, however, I don't see why this quote from the President is a "Bushism". It's accurate (for once), and it makes sense (to me anyway).
Here's the quote:
"Let me tell you my thoughts about tax relief. When your economy is kind of ooching along, it's important to let people have more of their own money."
It appears that the controversy is over the word "ooching", which is apparently a sailing term. I don't know jack about sailing, but I understood what he was saying. I don't know if the President intended to use it in its sailing context, but down here in Texas, I've heard the term used a few times to mean something that is lurching or dragging itself along.
I think maybe the people at Slate need to get out of New York City a bit more. Or maybe it was actually that whole "their own money" bit that threw them (they aren't used to the idea that tax money belongs to the people who actually earned it).
Posted by Aubrey at October 9, 2002 02:58 PMThe man is an imbercile, there is no doubting that.
Posted by: Bob Cat at December 5, 2002 12:49 AMI don't particularly care for either party, and I didn't vote for Bush, but I respect him a whole lot more than I ever respected Bill Clinton.
Say what you want about him, an "imbercile" (sic) wouldn't survive very long flying fighter jets (F-102's for the Texas Air National Guard). And family connections won't get you an MBA from Harvard.
I hereby propose a new rule (Godwin's Bush corollary):
Calling President Bush a moron or imbecile means automatic loss of argument.
The US exchanges a man with a very high IQ and a libido for an dingbat with little IQ and no libido. His motto "if it stands in my way, crush it.
Excellent choice.Remember to wave the flag when in Europe or just about any foreign country, these days. See what happens. We all live on the same planet, we should be trying a little harder.
Posted by: Tester at January 7, 2003 12:17 PMTester,
I don't particularly care for Bush, but this talk of stupidity and low IQ is a load of crap.
However, it does sometimes serve a useful purpose. It helps identify those with whom it is no longer feasible to have an argument, since their worldview is so far removed from mine that there is no chance of meaningful dialog.