[Peace-discuss] Plain English

[C. G. Estabrook]

He's certainly arrogant, and he may be ignorant of things we'd wish him 
to know (the viciousness of capitalism, say), but I don't think he's 
particularly dumb.  His education -- prep school, Yale and Harvard -- 
taught him how to get along in a certain world, and he has.  His public 
pose -- not an accident -- is a version of "poor-mouthing" found in 
those institutions.  (E.g., he was a cheerleader at Andover -- drawn to 
pay attention to a group's mood in order to manipulate it -- and make 
oneself an object of attention as well.)  The pose encourages a liberal 
elite to look down on him and underestimate him (at school and since) -- 
and the majority, despised by the liberals, to identify with him.

That said, it's clear that he's not the problem but a symptom. Had he 
choked to death on that pretzel, our government would still have killed 
a million people in Iraq. --CGE

Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
> You don't think that Bush is dumb, Carl (ignorant and arrogant)? That 
> it's all an act?
>  --Jenifer
> 
> */"C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>/* wrote:
> 
>     [The Chinese [sic] news agency reports on the Plain English Campaign,
>     which incidentally continues the fiction that the problem with Bush is
>     that he's dumb. --CGE]
> 
>     McClaren beats Bush to bag "Foot in Mouth" award
>     www.chinaview.cn 2007-12-12 14:46:39
> 
>     BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Former England soccer manager Steve
>     McClaren has edged U.S. President George W. Bush to scoop a "Foot in
>     Mouth" award from the Plain English campaign, media reported Wednesday.
> 
>     McClaren, sacked last month after England's failure to qualify for
>     next year's European Championships, won the award Tuesday for his
>     assessment of Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney's
>     considerable abilities.
> 
>     "He is inexperienced, but he's experienced in terms of what he's
>     been through," he said.
> 
>     George W. Bush came second for "All I can tell you is that when the
>     governor calls, I answer his phone."
> 
>     Plain English Campaign spokesman Ben Beer said, "We thought it was
>     a bit obvious to honor Bush as he comes up with them every day."
>	...