The Best Bushisms (so Far)

Whether you love him or hate him, there's no denying that George W. Bush has an interesting way with words. His word inventions or mix ups provide fodder for late night comedians and can leave listeners scratching their heads. While it's unfair to assume that every president will be a brilliant orator such as Lincoln, or will have the fiery passion of FDR, it can be disconcerting and amusing to hear certain things from the Commander in Chief.

"Information is moving-you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." (Washington D.C., May 2007)

Bush delivered this odd statement in our nation's capital on May 2, 2007. It seems derived from Bush's desire to maintain a folksy image, although he does come from an enormously successful, powerful, and rich family and went to a top Ivy league school.

The digital divide does exist between the Greatest Generation/Baby Boomers and Generation X/Generation 2.0, but would be remiss to assume that the most powerful man in the world isn't familiar with technology, notably the Internet. By mispluralizing "internet", Bush made himself seems like a man who has just discovered the existence of one of the most important inventions of all time rather than the President of the United States.

"My job is a job to make decisions. I'm a decision-if the job description were, what do you do-it's decision maker." (Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007)

One of Bush's favorite sayings is "I'm the decider", which he utters whenever the question is raised if a disgraced member of his cabinet/administration/political party will resign or admit to fault. It's clear he likes his power, but this quote seems off-kilter because it looks like a repetition of a very basic statement. The President is nearly rambling in this quote, which he tends to do when he becomes irritated or if he clearly doesn't want to discuss what has just come up in a press conference.

"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."

This memorable Bushism was uttered on September 6, in 2004, during a speech given in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Bush was trying to get across the point that frivolous lawsuits harm the medical community, but it took a bizarre turn and left the audience members (and anyone's who's heard the quote) with a creepy mental image.

"I want to thank my friend, Sen. Bill Frist, for joining us today. ... He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. (Laughter.) Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me." (Nashville, Tenn., May 27, 2004)

In the spoof comedy Naked Gun, Priscilla Presley's character says to Leslie Nielsen's character that she's a very lucky woman, to which he replies, "So am I." This quote is reminiscient of that, only Bush wasn't automatically replying to something he agreed with or empathized with. It looks like he simply spoke without thinking about what he was saying first.

"Our country puts $1 billion a year up to help feed the hungry. And we're by far the most generous nation in the world when it comes to that, and I'm proud to report that. This isn't a contest of who's the most generous. I'm just telling you as an aside. We're generous. We shouldn't be bragging about it. But we are. We're very generous." (Washington, D.C., July 16, 2003)

We Americans pride ourselves on living in a country that has historically helped others with supplies, funds, and soldiers when needed. While Bush was trying to emphasize our country's generosity, the message became garbled when he tripped over the etiquette of modesty and bragging about America's generous nature. If he has simply finished speaking after "I'm proud to report that," the quote wouldn't have taken a humorous, confusing turn.

"I'm the master of low expectations." (Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003)

Not something you want to hear from the Commander in Chief, especially while we're at war.

"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill." (Washington, D.C., May 19, 2003)

Such an odd comment is even more bizarre when one looks at Bush's background as an extremely affluent young man. It's hard to discern his point when his argument against the generalization of poverty immediately leading to violence seems to overshadow his logic. His manner of speaking tends to be condescending, so without seeing what he was replying to, we're left with a contention against automatic violence that's rooted in a bizzare assumption.

"Now, we talked to Joan Hanover. She and her husband, George, were visiting with us. They are near retirement-retiring-in the process of retiring, meaning they're very smart, active, capable people who are retirement age and are retiring." (Alexandria, Va., Feb. 12, 2003)

Another example of over-explaining himself and repeating himself until Bush's message became a garbled mess.

"I think the American people-I hope the American-I don't think, let me-I hope the American people trust me." (Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2002)

The first and last sentences make sense; the rest is stream of consciousness at its strangest.

"I'm a patient man. And when I say I'm a patient man, I mean I'm a patient man." (Crawford, TX, Aug. 21, 2002)

More repitition leading to more amusing point.

"They misunderestimated me." (Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000)

Bush didn't use a malpropism, which is the wrong word that sounds like the correct word in a sentence, such as substituting "tattoo" for "taboo". Bush simply used the wrong word and seemingly invented one. "Misunderestimated" is like "irregardless"; it is a nonsensical word that actually doesn't exist. Bush should have said "underestimated" and the quote would have been fine (although we wouldn't have this classic Bushism).

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." (LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000)

The correct formation of this sentence would be more like "Our nation finds hope in families, and with our families our dreams take flight." Bush's actual quote has incorrect grammar and an incorrect metaphor.

"I think we agree, the past is over." (On his meeting with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000)

Bush's assertion that we should look to the future became a statement of the obvious in this quote.

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." (Reuters, May 5, 2000)

Maybe Bush was trying to be humorous, or trying to maintain his folksy image, but in the end it only made him look dense.

"I understand small business growth. I was one." (New York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2000)

Obviously Bush meant he ran one rather than was one, but just as Bush incorrectly pluralizes words, he tends to use the wrong words in general.

"Rarely is the question asked, 'Is our children learning?'" (South Carolina, January 2000)

The fact that Bush was talking about education and himself made a grammatical error by mistakenly using "is" instead of "our" is beyond ironic, and that's what makes this quote such a famous Bushism.

"Will the highways to the Internet become more few?" (New Hampshire, January 2000)

The Internets made an appearance seven years ago in this unusual quote, as Bush's apparent misconception of "internet highways" along with the improper "more few" turn Bush's rhetorical question into a goofy question.

"I know that the human being and the fish can coexist." (Saginaw, Michigan, September 2000)

Apparently Bush didn't elaborate on this statement, but he might have been making an environmental claim. One can only wonder.

"We ought to make the pie higher."(South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000)

Such a bizzare visual metaphor makes it difficult for anyone to realize what Bush actually meant. Did he mean that the American dream should be modernized and we should want more? Did he mean that our standards in general should be higher? Only the President knows for sure.

"You're working hard to put food on your family." (Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000)

"Putting food on the table for your family" is clearly (hopefully) what Bush meant, but instead we're left with an odd image of someone placing dinner on one's loved ones.

Recently Bush has made more Bushisms, by declaring the very much alive Nelson Mandela dead and stating "Poor kids first!" after vetoing a bill that promised healthcare for childrend. There are many, many more, with wrong words, mispluralizations, repetition, and more, and whether you're a fan or anti-Bush, it's impossible not to ignore the fun of Bushisms, and there will be plenty more to come.