<p>I know it may come as a shock to many, but yes, Virginia there is such a thing as a Good o'l Rich Boy Network. Did abundantly well-connected Dear Old Dad have some influence at Yale? Duh.</p>
<p>My point is that he constantly has to say things on the record, and that can be hard for many many people. Just because he says things that arent always perfect in every way doesnt mean he is stupid. He is just a terrible public speaker and has a hard time formulating his thoughts into words on cue. And yes a lot of stupid people can graduate from college but if Bush was just an idiot I doubt he could graduate from one of the top schools in America. Yale isnt your ordinary college.</p>
<p>Good point. You and I both agree that he is a horrible, horrible public speaker. I also believe he has made some outrageously bad decisions, but we won't go into that. </p>
<p>"I've come to realize that the nature of the German people are such that war is very abhorrent, that Germany is a country now that is -- no matter where they sit on the political spectrum, Germans are -- just don't like war. And I can understand that. "</p>
<p>Ok I'm done.</p>
<p>"Omg just because someone cant speak proper english worth a dime doesnt mean they are stupid."</p>
<p>So what does that mean? That someone who "cant speak proper english worth a dime" is smart? That statement is just prima facie ridiculous. </p>
<p>"My point is that he constantly has to say things on the record, and that can be hard for many many people. Just because he says things that arent always perfect in every way doesnt mean he is stupid."</p>
<p>We're not asking for things to be "always perfect in every way." We're asking for things that make sense, especially for a President. Like respect for the Constitution. </p>
<p>And he's had to say stuff on record for more than 10 years, as governor and as President. He's had more than enough experience & practice, though, obviously, he hasn't improved.</p>
<p>"He is just a terrible public speaker and has a hard time formulating his thoughts into words on cue."</p>
<p>Which is sad, because everyone knows the President is a very public figure.</p>
<p>"And yes a lot of stupid people can graduate from college but if Bush was just an idiot I doubt he could graduate from one of the top schools in America."</p>
<p>Yeah, he "graduated" with a 2.something GPA. Like someone pointed out before, his father would've been pi**ed if he didn't graduate. Sure, Yale might not be your "ordinary" college, but when it comes the elite schools, admission is what's hard. Once you're in, they make a point of coddling you (or at least Yale does, & tries to use this as their selling point, as H doesn't really do this) and making sure you graduate. 98% of people graduate from those schools, and even now there's heavy grade inflation. The hardest part is getting in - which his legacy did for him. So yes, lots of stupid people can gradute from the "top schools in America."</p>
<p>Sorry, but your defense of Bush's intelligence is as ignorant as he is.</p>
<p>hm, I think I'm smarter than george bush, also a better speaker too!</p>
<p>maybe we should start a "why I love dubya" thread...that would be never-ending.</p>
<p>"So what does that mean? That someone who "cant speak proper english worth a dime" is smart? That statement is just prima facie ridiculous."</p>
<p>What I am saying is that you cant look at someone's public speaking to determine how intelligent they are. If you want a good example just look at John Kerry. His IQ and GPA are/was lower than Bush's, yet Kerry is very good at dictating his thoughts in speeches and stuff. Also I might venture to point out that you are acting under the assumption I said Bush is smart. I never said that; I just said he isn't stupid. </p>
<p>"We're not asking for things to be "always perfect in every way." We're asking for things that make sense, especially for a President. Like respect for the Constitution."</p>
<p>Havent you ever heard of a hyperbole?</p>
<p>"And he's had to say stuff on record for more than 10 years, as governor and as President. He's had more than enough experience & practice, though, obviously, he hasn't improved."</p>
<p>All the more reason. He has undergone 10 years of major public speaking so it is very likely that he could get lost in words. </p>
<p>"Yeah, he "graduated" with a 2.something GPA. Like someone pointed out before, his father would've been pi**ed if he didn't graduate. Sure, Yale might not be your "ordinary" college, but when it comes the elite schools, admission is what's hard. Once you're in, they make a point of coddling you (or at least Yale does, & tries to use this as their selling point, as H doesn't really do this) and making sure you graduate. 98% of people graduate from those schools, and even now there's heavy grade inflation. The hardest part is getting in - which his legacy did for him. So yes, lots of stupid people can gradute from the "top schools in America.""</p>
<p>The reason why the graduation rate is so high is because the people are smart enough to pass. Don't belittle the people who get into elite schools by saying they are babied all the way through. But even if Yale "coddles" its students, it is still one of the top schools, and I doubt your average stupid person could get through.</p>
<p>Hold on now. No one said to bring up Kerry if you're wanting to refer to intelligent people.</p>
<p>Kerry, as well as Bush, are both idiots.</p>
<p>Thats not my point; my point is Kerry is a good public speaker.</p>
<p>Okay, if your dad is the President of the United States, yes, that's right, if your dad is the leader of the most powerful country in the world...maybe universe, you can pretty much name your school even if you're stupid. People seem to ignore the fact that colleges are businesses, and rejecting the President's son would be very, very stupid on Yale's part. The Bush's are fabulously rich, and Yale was pretty much ensuring a yearly donation as well as the possibility that George would himself reach his father's position, which would give Yale a good name, to say the president went there.</p>
<p>and yes, even if your dad is the president today, you could probably still name your school.</p>
<p>haha yeah, I agree with go-vibe, lots of colleges graduate complete fools. You can graduate with C's you know, that's not exactly impressive, even at Yale.</p>
<p>saying dubya is smart is the 2nd stupidest thing i've ever heard...but this one takes the cake:</p>
<p>Stupid people don't get to be presidents... well, unless you count Bill Clinton. ;)</p>
<p>I honestly think that most of the "stupid" charges against Bush are rooted in the fact that he is openly Christian, makes references to God, isn't afraid to use terms like good and evil, etc. In the bizarre world of contemporary liberalism, that is scary stuff and prompts derision. To them, if you are a religious person, chances are you are an idiot.</p>
<p>This is why, BTW, the Democratic Party is in shambles these days. Whether the Democrats like it or not, the majority of Americans are people of faith. Why should they vote for a party that thinks they're stupid? If the Democrats hope to pull themselves out of the muck in 2008 and beyond, they need to make a serious attitude adjustment toward religion in general and Christianity in particular.</p>
<p>hey, canadian, go bs about your own politics</p>
<p>Lmfao. Fides et Ratio, you haven't been keeping up with the news for the past 6 years, have you?</p>
<p>No Fides is right; it is just that everyone is in shambles right now, because the majority of the country is mad about Iraq and thinks congress is lazy and spends way too much; however, Democrats should be flourishing at that. Unfortunately for them they aren't, and the country only views them as the lesser of two evils, which although might win them the senate, in the long run wont help.</p>
<p>Okay, if your dad is the President of the United States, yes, that's right, if your dad is the leader of the most powerful country in the world...maybe universe, you can pretty much name your school even if you're stupid</p>
<p>AT the time that Bush 43 went to Yale, his father was an unimportant Congressman, one among many, and the family was wealthy but not particularly noteworthy. You do know, don't you, what year it was that Bush 41 was elected, and that it was decades after 43 went to college?</p>
<p>yeah. people that say "the president got him in to yale" have made an anachronistic error. however, this isn't to say that his father didn't get him in to yale - the Bushes are one the great american families, like the kennedys or the rockerfellers. Before being president, george h.w. still had a hell of a lot of influence - including over the school he graduated from.</p>
<p>seriously, bush couldn't really have hoped to get in to yale on his merits, even if it was less competitive back then. his SAT score was barely passable, and he admits himself that he cared very little about academics. he got in because his surname was bush and yale thought they saw someone who would be powerful in the future (and they were right...)</p>
<p>Actually, firewalker, I'm a news junkie. Despite my Canadian citizenship, I pay much more attention to US politics than I do Canadian politics -- reason being, I find the former to be far more exciting. And in my personal opinion, overall, Bush has done a tremendous job. It look me awhile to cut through the shrill, overwhelming lib-left BS to recognize this -- I, too, had once rode the "Bush sucks" bandwagon -- but as I have matured intellectually over the past few years it has become clear: George W. Bush is a visionary president, and the world's greatest advocate and defender of freedom and democracy. He is on par with Churchill and, more recent, Reagan. </p>
<p>Laugh and sneer and scream from the rooftops all you want -- follow the herd. In the coming years and decades, when the smoke clears and freedom has reigned once again over those who want to destroy it, you can comfort yourself with the fact that you were just an immature kid.</p>