WillPatching.com

Ok, George Dubya is not famous for his intellect so maybe it is a little unfair of me to keep picking on him — or it would be if he was not the self-appointed Leader of The Free World.

That makes him fair game, don’t you think?

Well I do…

There are some truly excellent websites out there listing some of the more inane pronouncements of this stellar statesman and I have no intention of competing with them. (See the two brilliant links below.)

Instead, on a light-hearted note, I thought I would challenge my regular readers to attempt a little quiz.

Which of the following twenty quotes can be attributed to

George W Bush ?  

Hint: The most powerful man in the world really did utter all but two of these stunningly insightful remarks, and his words make up a large part of one of the other eighteen — I couldn’t resist taking the liberty of mixing in a phrase of my own just to spice things up a bit!

1. “Of course we’re after Iraq… er… Saddam Hussein… I mean bin Laden.”

2. “And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I’m sorry it’s the case, and I’ll work hard to try to elevate it.”

3. “I think…tide turning…see, as I remember…I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of…it’s easy to see a tide turn… Did I say those words?”

4. “Sure, I snorted coke — but I never inhaled… I didn’t just say that.”

5. “They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it’s some kind of federal program.”

6. “Part of the problem in health care is that there is no consumerism — I shouldn’t say no consumerism, obviously there is some consumerism.”

7. “You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”

8. “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking of new ways to harm our country and our people… and neither do we.”

9. “You know, when I campaigned here in 2000, I said, I want to be a war President. No President wants to be a war President, but I am one.”

10. “No question that the enemy has tried to spread sectarian violence. They use violence as a tool to do that.”

11. “Of course we torture terrorists. We just don’t call it that. It’s harsh interrogation when we do it… This is off the record, right?”

12. “The point now is how do we work together to achieve important goals? And one such goal is a democracy in Germany.”

13. “I’ve heard (Tony Blair)’s been called Bush’s poodle. He’s bigger than that… A British Bullhorn maybe…”

14. “This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. And having said that, all options are on the table.”

15. “I don’t particularly like it when people put words in my mouth, either, by the way, unless I say it…

16. “…in 2000 I said, ‘Vote for me. I’m an agent of change.’ In 2004, I said, ‘I’m not interested in change — I want to continue as president.’ Every candidate has got to say change. That’s what the American people expect.”

17. “I’m oftentimes asked, What difference does it make to America if people are dying of malaria in a place like Ghana? It means a lot. It means a lot morally, it means a lot from a — it’s in our national interest.”

18. “Oftentimes people ask me, Why is it that you’re so focused on helping the hungry and diseased in strange parts of the world?”

19. “I fully understand those who say you can’t win this thing  (Iraq) militarily. That’s exactly what the United States military says, that you can’t win this military.”

20. “This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating…”

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Answers below.

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In fairness, it is worth pointing out that all politicians say stupid things, but not all politicians have made a career out of it… George’s stream-of-consciousness drawlings are an eye-opener and I have to ask - how did this man ever get elected to the most powerful position in the world?

Here’s the one quote from this great war leader(sic) I absolutely agree with:

It’s time to restore honor and dignity to the White House.

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Two brilliant links for more wise words from the POTUS:

http://www.depresident.com/bushisms.asp

http://www.slate.com/id/76886/

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Answers:

As far as I am aware President Bush has never said either 4 or 11 in public or in private. They are purely an invention for the purposes of this quiz and have no basis in fact. Really. I believe all the other quotes above to be genuine as they can be found in the public domain — except the italicized phrase in number 13 which I added to a genuine Bushism just to have a bit of fun.

Easy, wasn’t it?