What An Idiot

Posted on July 21, 2004

How dumb is George W. Bush? Scroll down to the bottom of this story and find out… or, if you don’t want to scroll, here’s the killer excerpt in its unedited glory:

This is one example of what happens when Bush gets a question that he hasn’t anticipated.
“Q: Thank you — I was wondering, there’s a lot of talk right now about memoirs being written with the former President. After you are elected in 2004, what will your memoirs say about you, what will the title be, and what will the main theme say?
“THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate that. (Laughter.) There is a painting on my wall in the Oval — first of all, I don’t know. I’m just speculating now. I really haven’t thought about writing a book. My life is too complicated right now trying to do my job. (Laughter.) But if — there’s a painting on the wall in the Oval Office that shows a horseman charging up a steep cliff, and there are at least two other horsemen following. It’s a Western scene by a guy named W.H.S. Koerner called ‘A Charge to Keep.’ It’s on loan, by the way, from a guy named Joe O’Neill in Midland, Texas. He was the person, he and his wife Jan, introduced — reintroduced me and Laura in his backyard in July of 1977. Four months later, we were married. So he’s got a — I’m a decision-maker and I can make good decisions. (Applause.)
“And so we sang this hymn — this is a long story trying to get to your answer. (Laughter.) This is not a filibuster. (Laughter.) That’s a Senate term — particularly on good judges. (Applause.) The hymn was sung at my first inaugural church service as governor. Laura and I are Methodists. One of the Wesley boys wrote the hymn. The painting is based upon the hymn called, ‘A Charge to Keep.’ I have. The hymn talks about serving something greater than yourself in life. I — which I try to do, as best as I possibly can. (Applause.)
“The book — I guess one way, one thing to think about it is — one of the themes would be, I was given a charge to keep. And I gave it all my heart, all my energy, based upon principles that did not change once I got into the Oval Office. (Applause.)”
Now that’s a rambling response.
And I have to wonder: Did he forget that he already has a memoir called “A Charge to Keep”?
That was the name of his “autobiography” — ghost-written by adviser Karen Hughes in 1999.

Wow. Maybe he should call it “A Charge To Keep 2: This Time It’s Personal”.