Is George Bush Dumber Than a Fifth Grader?

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Is George Bush Dumber Than a Fifth Grader?

Posted Jun 18th 2007 5:29PM by Ben Mankiewicz
Filed under: Politics, George Bush, Young Turks

Studio lights up...Roll cold open...Cue music bed...Cue Applause...Host enters stage right.

"Hello America and welcome to another jaw-dropping episode of "Are You Smarter Than the President?"

The key to a good reality show is that – unlike so much scripted television – the audience doesn't know what's going to happen. It's like sports. We watch because we don't know who'll win.

That's why my little game show idea would be such a failure. Where Fox's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" is a surprisingly challenging game pitting man against 10-year-old boy, "Are You Smarter Than the President?" would be a ratings disaster.

Why? Because it turns out everyone is smarter than the president.

Last week, after Senate Republicans (and Joe Lieberman) prevented a no confidence vote on Attorney General-for-life Alberto Gonzales, Bush said he was prepared to ignore Congress (as usual) no matter what the vote.

"This process has been drug out a long time," Bush said. "It's political."

In case you missed it there, the President of the United States just used the phrase "drug out."

Insert your own Bush-on-drugs joke here, but let's get to the substance, or lack thereof, of Bush's quote. He meant "this process has been dragged out." Or if he were merely sort of ignorant, he could have said "this process has been drugged out," though that would've meant the process had actually overdosed on Oxycontin.

But he said "drug out," which is just stupid. Nowhere in the definition of "drag" is "drug" an acceptable use of the past tense. Drug means, um, drug.

So, to re-cap: the guy the world is counting on to use a complicated combination of intense international pressure and diplomacy to entice China and Russia to use THEIR influence to compel Iran to halt its nuclear ambitions is dumber than your neighbor's daughter Madison. Who is precocious, but maybe shouldn't be the President.

Bush's defenders (all 186 of them) point out that those of us who criticize President Bush for his cataclysmic cerebral deficiencies are intellectual snobs.

(By the way, how did we let the Rush Limbaughs of the world make the word "intellectual" a negative in American politics? It means a person of superior intellect, someone who uses the mind creatively. Yeah, burn...it's quite the insult).

Anyway, they claim the intellectual snobberati just doesn't appreciate the true sophistication of Bush's plain-spoken, man-of-the-people style. First of all, Harry Truman was plain-spoken. Dwight Eisenhower was plain-spoken. And man of the people? Ike worked two years in a creamery to help put his brother through college before earning an appointment to West Point, spending his life in the military, a true man of the people. And Truman, he worked on the railroad, as a farmer, then after World War I, he started his own clothing store. Another genuine man of the people.

Bush was handed a series of jobs in oil (and one in baseball) because he was George H.W. Bush's son. Did he take advantage of these breaks? As everyone now knows, he failed at every "job," right up to and including president (in hindsight, we should be grateful Texas never invaded New Mexico while Bush was governor for manufacturing salsa of mass destruction).

Calling Bush "plain-spoken" is an insult to millions of Americans who are actually plain-spoken, people who eschew high-falutin language for straightforward talk. I like those people. They don't use words like "eschew." (For a list of Bush's verbal embarrassments, click here).

Look, I get it. Not every President of the United States has to sound like George Will or Paul Simon (no, the other one).

I realize that just because a person don't talk good, it don't mean they ain't smart. Except most times, that's exactly what it means.

The Young Turks

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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

1. leave the guy alone. he's had enough. he knows his shortcomings and he knows he's no Dan Quayle. have a heart. forgive where forgivesness is due. he can't help it but I've heard thru the grapevine he's very concerned about Jack Daniel's shutting down. Just joking. I'm sure he's a vodka man. When he and Putin are together they're always laughing. could that be why? I don't know

dave at 6:25PM on Jun 18th 2007

2. The problem in the country for the last couple of decades has been that so much of the population gets their "news" from media soundbites which are carefully edited to present the bias of the publisher as "objective news". Most people don't actually read anymore, if they ever did. It's too bad because then they could get their information from several sources and make a decision of their own (gasp!).

Liberals who could not stand the idea of George Bush as President have been denigrating the man even before he took office. For example, Mankiewicz, if you don't have any idea that using the word" drug" in the context that the President did is a regional linguistic colloquialism, then you are either a snob or simply ignorant yourself. Some of us have the intelligence to see through the criticism that is purely partisan. Liberals who couldn't understand how Bush could not win the popular vote, while winning in the electorial college, apparently lacked the education about our political system they should have learned in grammar school. I guess the continued snide remarks makes them feel better about their rage. Unfortunately however, all it has done is damage the country. Then when he won a second time, well, they were apoplectic!!! I recall this same reaction when Ronald Reagan was elected.(Twice!!) How, the media asked, could people be so blind as to elect a man like this?? Bombastic remarks like these from the press and opposition politicians certainly hurts the country, but all the negative effects of that rage, including the "outrage" of impotent foreign governments jabbering about our policies, is blamed on the President.

As far as Bush's past jobs are concerned, I don't know of a sane person with children who would NOT take advantage of personal connections to get their kid a job. It's done all the time, at all economic strata of the country. This is not illegal and is not criminal. Does his experience NOT make him a man of the people? Would it have been better if he, a millionaire's son, had NEVER worked at anything? Who did he "know" that got him elected governor of Texas? I'd sure like to be introduced so my son could be a governor too. Oh, right, he was elected. With the votes of millions of Texans.

The liberals demand that Bush be verbally perfect,but judging by their support of former President Clinton, have no similar expectations of a President having perfect moral standards. I think most Americans believe morality is more important than verbal slips of the tongue. As in the case of Ronald Reagan, I guess we will need to let history decide. Meanwhile, liberals, think before you snipe. You are only hurting the country.

LJ at 6:31PM on Jun 18th 2007

3. It nice to sit back and questions the decision that the President makes. At least he has the b--ls to stick to what he believes and not cave in to the press and people like you who couldn't make a decision unless he check with all the liberals and democratics. So tired of listening to all the people who has all the answers but no power.We will defeat our selfs. No one else can. When that day comes you may looked back and said we should of listen to President Bush not some Hollywood a--hole.
Truman should of listen to MacArthur and we wouldn't be having this problems. The last good democrat President was F.D.R.. Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Clinton was a waste. I have a solution for the illegals. Let them enlist in the armed services. When the completed there enlistment and earn a honorary discharge then they earned the right to be a citzen. God Bless them.

flndersfox at 6:45PM on Jun 18th 2007

4. Your point seems to be that because the President used the word drug instead of dragged in off the cuff remarks it shows he is somehow not intelligent. I think that comment states more about your lack of intelligence than the President. The fact is that when people are talking they often say things that they would not have said if they had time to think. I don’t think there is a person alive who has not had this happen. And “drug” for “dragged” is a minor mistake at best.

I find it amusing when Democrats try to paint Republicans as stupid. They do so even when presented with incredible evidence to the contrary. President Bush is an intelligent well educated man. He has an undergrad degree from Yale and a Masters from Harvard. The fact that you would continue to insist he is not the intelligent person he is telling. It really comes from intellectual arrogance and sloppiness. Many liberals begin from the assumption that they are correct about all issues and are unwilling or unable to consider that fact that they are wrong. When someone disagrees with the liberal dogma it must be because the person is stupid or corrupt. In the case of this administration they assume both.

The fact of the matter is that there usually more than one way to look at issues. Republicans look at issues and come to different conclusions about what is best. This is not because they are stupid, corrupt or their ideas are worse than liberal ideas. Instead, I think conservatives tend to have better ideas and arguments because they are willing to question their own beliefs and not assume all those who disagree are stupid.

Greg at 6:56PM on Jun 18th 2007

5. I agree Greg. I always try to keep in mind that "Liberal" does not mean "tolerant".

In general, most folks on the left (including Democrats) are not big on allowing substantive debate on policy. They will debate strategy and gamesmanship, but in general they simply do not like the status quo and tend to be so confident that their overarching ideology will make the world better, that their main drive seems to be to set tradition aside and drive to win at-all-cost. In this regard, leftists tend to show their "the truth is relative" side more than right wingers do.

On the other hand, those on the right (including Republicans) tend to think the ends do not justify the means, and claim to believe in objective truth. They hold that the end result will be good if we stay on the straight and narrow, and stick to our time-tested principles.

Nowadays, the Left finds it hard to fathom how they could have lost the presidency, and it gripes their collective butt to no end that Bush not only won the first time, but that Bush actually won the second time around. Make no mistake; the Left knows how the electoral college works; they just playing dumb. When Kennedy took the white house in a "squeaker" election, Republicans did not engage in the sort of infatile bitching and moaning that has characterized the Democrat party of the 21st century.

This sort of constant complaining, the steady "outrage", that sad sarcasm, and the cynical political game-playing really makes Democrats seem like no more than childish and sore losers. It ceretainly does not endear them to the masses.

Ken Berg at 8:10PM on Jun 18th 2007

6. President Bush earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Yale University. He later earned an MBA from Harvard University. Where did you graduate from? Intellectual snobs? I think that is about right. You must be really desperate to write an entire article on President Bush's use of the phrase "drug out" to characterize him as stupid. I would characterize you as pathetic. Or maybe I am being an intellectual snob. Oh, and make that 187 supporters of President Bush.

Michael Tefft at 9:45PM on Jun 18th 2007

7. Ben M. should be more fair to the POTUS. Bush isn't stupid, but of average I.Q.. Compared to other world leaders, he's stupid, with Thabo Mbeki and about five others being dafter, but calling him stupid is exaggerating.

lil_turk at 8:17AM on Jun 19th 2007

8. So I use to say I needed to "De-thaw" my frozen food. Does that make me stupid? I think knot!

sosueme at 9:18AM on Jun 19th 2007

9. And I use to say I needed to De-thaw my frozen food. Does that make me stupid....I think knot! So the President has a lasp of correct english terms, we all know what he meant.

sosueme at 9:17AM on Jun 19th 2007

10. Bush is an idiot, and my third-grader son is smarter than him. He is surrounded by people who are smart but evil (Rove, Cheney), and they use his "popularity" and "charm" to achieve their own evil purposes (war, big corporations). Fred Thompson would be another Bush.

Sarah at 9:22AM on Jun 19th 2007

11. Well, if everyone is smarter than President Bush, including Ben, why is George W. Bush the President of the United States, pulling a salary of $400,000+, and Ben is dime-a-dozen blogger, and one of the pettiest people in the blogoshere? I'd say the President is smiling about that. I am!

Wally Lind at 5:06PM on Jun 20th 2007

12. Oh God. After reading all the right-wingers' defenses of Bush and his incredibly inane policies based on his lack of grammatical knowledge, I realize that George W. Bush really does represent America, and we are truly getting what we deserve.

Chris Schultz

Chris Schultz at 5:25PM on Jun 19th 2007

13. I really crack up when whiny Republicans go to Demo/Liberal blogs or websites to throw down about GWB. WHY? I just don't get it. Stay on your own turf - like PowerLine and Heritage Foundation, where your Bush adoration will be appreciated. And your blather about the "tolerance" of Conservatives? Oh yes. Very tolerant. As long as the people in question are white, heterosexual, middle to upper middle class or wealthy, male, usually religious and AGREE with you - on all points. Then you are a beacon of generosity and tolerance. If someone does not fit within those parameters, like those DAMN LIBERALS - suddenly that facade of loving tolerance crumbles.

Tell me, oh loving Conservative - when was the last time you did some volunteer work or paid work with social programs and institutions? Most Liberals I know do this, for a variety of causes. Most Conservatives I know either sit around and complain, work to beat people over the head with their religious beliefs or are fruitcake members of the "pro-life" movement. Let's end abortion, stem cell research and euthanasia...because it's God's will...but let's all defend the NRA and own guns and blow up every country that pisses us off. Yeah! Save the humans, indeed!

Sorry, but you're not going to change any minds about the "intelligence" of GWB by storming Internet blogs like fourth grade school bullies. This is why you and YOUR President have half a brain cell to rub together - force doesn't work. Hasn't Iraq taught you anything? Oh, I forgot. You think Iraq is a success.

And for the comment about GWB and Yale: I graduated from an Ivy League university. If you had actually graduated from the Ivy League, you would have known about this. And you could have called yourself "an intellectual snob", and not hang around with the slack-jawed yokels that you call friends. There is a small, but loathsome, group of students at EVERY Ivy League school known as "legacies". Legacy students are the children/grandchildren of alumni. They're usually C student knuckle draggers, but they're there because the family donated a very large sum of money to the school/has a building named after them/had a family member go on to impressive things.

GWB went to Yale, just like his Daddy. And an impressive legacy student he is! A cheerleader and fraternity member!

So, before you open your large, slack-jawed mouth - ask someone to read some facts to you first.

Chris at 10:50AM on Jun 20th 2007

14. Chris in Post 12. I really crack up when whiny Republicans go to Demo/Liberal blogs or websites to throw down about GWB. WHY? I just don't get it. Stay on your own turf - like PowerLine and Heritage Foundation, where your Bush adoration will be appreciated.

KB - Wow. I tend to like to hear and know about the opinions of those with whom I might not agree. I like to toss ideas back and forth and the discussion. I thought that is what blogs were for; the free exchange of ideas and all.

C - And your blather about the "tolerance" of Conservatives? Oh yes. Very tolerant. As long as the people in question are white, heterosexual, middle to upper middle class or wealthy, male, usually religious and AGREE with you - on all points.

KB - I know more than a few non-white consevratives, and what is wrong with being middle class? Conservatives often disagree and debate things within their own circles. Some recent examples are stem-cell research and immigration reform. To me, the Left seems to prefer to simply debate strategy rather than debate the merits of a particular issue. For example I have not heard much debate on the Left about abortion, stem-cell research, or immigration reform.

C - Then you are a beacon of generosity and tolerance. If someone does not fit within those parameters, like those DAMN LIBERALS - suddenly that facade of loving tolerance crumbles.

KB - I do not agree with you on this.

C - Tell me, oh loving Conservative - when was the last time you did some volunteer work or paid work with social programs and institutions? Most Liberals I know do this, for a variety of causes.

KB - Most consevatives, and inded most liberals that I know volunteer time to their communities or local churches. I do not think Christian charity or the notion of improving the community is limited to one side or the other.

C - Most Conservatives I know either sit around and complain, work to beat people over the head with their religious beliefs or are fruitcake members of the "pro-life" movement. Let's end abortion, stem cell research and euthanasia...because it's God's will...but let's all defend the NRA and own guns and blow up every country that pisses us off. Yeah! Save the humans, indeed!

KB - You must know some awfully selfish and small-minded people. I suggest you try to broaden your circle of firneds and acquantainces.

C - Sorry, but you're not going to change any minds about the "intelligence" of GWB by storming Internet blogs like fourth grade school bullies.

KB - I agree it is always best to be polite in discussing things, and that people - Left or Right -should not act like fourth grade bullies.

C - This is why you and YOUR President have half a brain cell to rub together - force doesn't work. Hasn't Iraq taught you anything? Oh, I forgot. You think Iraq is a success.

KB - I think just like president Clinton, Bush is president of the entire USA. As for Iraq, many conservatives I know are not happy with how Bush has handled this war.

C - And for the comment about GWB and Yale: I graduated from an Ivy League university. If you had actually graduated from the Ivy League, you would have known about this. And you could have called yourself "an intellectual snob", and not hang around with the slack-jawed yokels that you call friends. There is a small, but loathsome, group of students at EVERY Ivy League school known as "legacies". Legacy students are the children/grandchildren of alumni. They're usually C student knuckle draggers, but they're there because the family donated a very large sum of money to the school/has a building named after them/had a family member go on to impressive things.

KB - I graduated from a regular Midwestern college. Thanks for the information about the Ivy Leagu colleges, but it sounds like you have problems with the families who donate money to the institutions, and their children who attend. Can't help with that.

C - GWB went to Yale, just like his Daddy. And an impressive legacy student he is [was]! A cheerleader and fraternity member!

KB - And now the people of this nation have elected him twice to the office of president.

C - So, before you open your large, slack-jawed mouth - ask someone to read some facts to you first.

KB - You level of frustration is amazing, and must consume a lot of your natural energy.

Ken Berg at 11:39AM on Jun 20th 2007

15. Oh and Chris, keep in mind Conservatives and Republicans are not always the same thing.

Words actually have meanings, and while Conservatives and Republicans tend to agree on many issues, they do part company sometimes.

Republicans tend toward being internationalists, and Conservatives tend toward being isolationsist or nationalists.

Some of the more liberal Republicans - while they fit comfortably under the Republican party tent - strongly disagree with Conservatives on social issues, the role of government, and on the value of some social programs.

And so just like not all Democrats march in lock-step with the far Left or the Move On.org crowd, one should be careful when trying to categorize or characterize these various groups.

Ken Berg at 11:47AM on Jun 20th 2007

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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.