| The Bushisms: Poppy and Dubya Speak |
|
|
By Daniel Kurtzman
|
Former President George Bush was never known for his command of the English language. "He can't help it," former Texas Gov. Ann Richards once said of the elder Bush’s frequent verbal miscues. "He was born with a silver foot in his mouth."
In his bid to fill his father’s shoes, George W. Bush has proven to be a skillful butcher of syntax in his own right. One reporter covering his presidential campaign dubbed him "The English Patient."
As this side-by-side look at "Bushisms" reveals, Dubya has been striving hard to match Poppy’s rhetorical feats.
The Economy, Stupid
"We're enjoying sluggish times, and not enjoying them very much." —George Bush Sr., in 1992
"A tax cut is really one of the anecdotes to coming out of an economic illness." —George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000
Mangled Metaphors
"Please don't ask me to do that which I've just said I'm not going to do, because you're burning up time. The meter is running through the sand on you, and I am now filibustering." —George Bush Sr., in 1989
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to have — he can't have it both ways. He can't take the high horse and then claim the low road." —George W. Bush, in Feb. 2000
The Call of the Wild
"If you're worried about caribou, take a look at the arguments that were used about the pipeline. They'd say the caribou would be extinct. You've got to shake them away with a stick. They're all making love lying up against the pipeline and you got thousands of caribou up there." —George Bush Sr., speaking in 1991 about the Alaskan pipeline
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." —George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000
The Dangers of Microphones
"These, they're very dangerous. They trap you. Especially these furry ones...it's these furry guys that get you in real trouble. They can reach out and listen to something so — keep it respectful here." —George Bush Sr., speaking to Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1991 about the need to be careful when speaking near open microphones
"There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from the New York Times." —George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000
Linguistic Abilities
"Fluency in English is something that I'm often not accused of." —George Bush Sr., in 1989
"The woman who knew that I had dyslexia — I never interviewed her." —George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000, denying a magazine article's claim that he suffers from dyslexia
Mistake My Wife, Please
"It has been said by some cynic, maybe it was a former president, 'If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.' Well, we took them literally — that advice — as you know. But I didn't need that because I have Barbara Bush." —George Bush Sr., in 1989
"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case." —George W. Bush, in Jan. 2000
Anti-Matters of the Heart
"I hope I stand for antibigotry, anti-Semitism, antiracism. This is what drives me." —George Bush Sr., in 1988
"Unfairly but truthfully, our party has been tagged as being against things. Anti-immigrant, for example. And we're not a party of anti-immigrants. Quite the opposite. We're a party that welcomes people." —George W. Bush, in July 2000
Man's Best Friend
"Let me give you a little serious political advice. One single word. Puppies. Worth the points." —George Bush Sr., in 1990
"If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow." —George W. Bush, in Jan. 2000
Political Savvy
"It's no exaggeration to say the undecideds could go one way or another." —George Bush Sr., in 1988
"Listen, Al Gore is a very tough opponent. He is the incumbent. He represents the incumbency. And a challenger is somebody who generally comes from the pack and wins, if you're going to win. And that's where I'm coming from." —George W. Bush, in Sept. 2000
Freudian Slips
"For seven and a half years I've worked alongside President Reagan. We've had triumphs. Made some mistakes. We've had some sex...uh...setbacks." —George Bush Sr., in 1988
"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about then." —George W. Bush, reflecting in 1994 about growing up in Midland, Texas
Next page > "When I need a little advice about Saddam Hussein, I turn to country music." > Page 1, 2
Are You An Expert on
Bushspeak?
Take the Bushisms Quiz
More Bushisms
The Latest
Adventures in Bushspeak
