Is Bush An Idiot?

So asked Joe Scarborough.

Some of the answers from comments at Crooks and Liars:

Is the sky blue? Is water wet?

Is the Pope Catholic?

WSJ's John Fund tries to defend Bush by saying he's more inarticulate than unintelligent, but that doesn't wash. We're not just talking typical Bushisms here, even though Scarborough had fun replaying some of the more cringe inducing ones.

The problem with Bush is more serious than linguistic gaffes. It's more about one, the lack of intellectual fortitude needed to meet the rigors of his job and two, the lack of intellectual curiosity that leads to a rigidity in thinking.

When challenged for being inconsistent, the British economist John Maynard Keynes once replied, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?".

And therein lies Bush's fatal flaw. He doesn't care to know when facts change, because thinking things over is hard work and he's too intellectually lazy to do it. He is also unwilling to change his mind because he's convinced that his worldview is right and everyone else is wrong.

Quite an irresponsible, nay, dangerous combination for someone in such a position of power.

+Save/Share | |