Bushism

George W. Bush.

Bushisms are unconventional words, phrases, pronunciations, malapropisms, and semantic or linguistic errors that have occurred in and defined the public speaking of former United States President George W. Bush and, much less notably, of his father, George H. W. Bush.^[1][2][3] The term has become part of popular folklore and is the basis of a number of websites and published books. It is often used to caricature the two presidents. Common characteristics include malapropisms, the creation of neologisms, spoonerisms, stunt words and grammatically incorrect subject-verb agreement.

This occasional misuse of the English language in formal and public speeches has spawned several books that document the statements. The first, Bushisms/President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words, was released in 1992. A poem entitled "Make the Pie Higher", composed entirely of Bushisms, was compiled by cartoonist Richard Thompson.^[4][5] In 2008, the Plain English Campaign awarded George W. Bush a Lifetime Achievement Foot in Mouth Award for his "services to gobbledygook".^[6][7]

Notable statements

General

• "They misunderestimated me."^[8] — Bentonville, Arkansas; November 6, 2000
• "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."^[9]  — Nashville, Tennessee; September 17, 2002
• "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."^[10]  — LaCrosse, Wisconsin; October 18, 2000
• "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."^[11] — Saginaw, Michigan; September 29, 2000
• "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country."^[12] — Poplar Bluff, Missouri; September 6, 2004
• "You know, I'm the President during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so, before I arrived in President, during I arrived in President."^[13] — ABC News interview, December 1, 2008
• "I'm going to put people in my place, so when the history of this administration is written at least there's an authoritarian voice saying exactly what happened."^[14] (Announcing he will write a book about "the 12 toughest decisions" he had to make.)
• "I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging." — At the dedication of his portrait, Austin, Texas; January 4, 2002^[15]
• "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." — Washington, D.C.; December 7, 2006^[16]
• "The California crunch really is the result of not enough power-generating plants and then not enough power to power the power of generating plants." — January 14, 2001^[17]

Foreign affairs

• "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."^[18]  — Washington, D.C., August 5, 2004
• "We were trying to say something differently, but nevertheless it conveyed a different message". — January 12, 2009 Press Conference (Time Magazine, January 26, 2009, p13).
• "Bush goes to Hel. That's what a lot of people want." — On his visit to the Hel Peninsula, Gdansk, Poland, June 8, 2007^[19]
• "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." — Addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit, Sept. 7, 2007^[19]

Economics

• "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."^[5] — Greater Nashua, New Hampshire, January 27, 2000
• "I understand small business growth. I was one." — New York Daily News, February 19, 2000
• "There's no question about it. Wall Street got drunk -- that's one of the reasons I asked you to turn off the TV cameras -- it got drunk and now it's got a hangover. The question is how long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments."  — Speaking at a private fundraiser and surreptitiously recorded by a reporter with the footage subsequently leaked on various news outlets, Houston, Texas, July 18, 2008^[20]
• "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system." — Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2008^[20]

Education

• "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"^[5] — Florence, South Carolina; January 11, 2000
• "As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." — On the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C.; Sept. 26, 2007^[21]
• "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass... a literacy test."^[22] — Townsend, Tennessee; February 21, 2001
• "Then you wake up at the high school level and find out that the illiteracy level of our children are appalling." —Washington, D.C.; Jan. 23, 2004^[23]

See also

• Damaging quotation
• Freudian slip
• Great Moments in Presidential Speeches, a daily Bushism segment on Late Show with David Letterman
• Internets
• nucular
• Strategery
• Warren G. Harding, another American president who often made verbal gaffes
• Yoshiro Mori, a Japanese prime minister who often made verbal gaffes
• Dan Quayle, a U.S. vice president also known for misspeaking

Related linguistic elements

• Anguish Languish
• Colemanballs
• Eggcorn
• Spoonerism
• Yogiism

References

Further reading

• Frank, Justin A., Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President (2004), ISBN 0-06-073670-4.
• Miller, Mark Crispin. The Bush Dyslexicon (2001), ISBN 0-393-04183-2.
• George W. Bushisms: The Accidental Wit and Wisdom of Our 43rd President. Ed. Jacob Weisberg. ISBN 0-7407-4456-9.
• Bushisms/President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words New Republic. Workman Pub Co., May 1992, ISBN 1-56305-318-7
• George W. Bush -- On The Trips Of His Tongue -- A Linguistic Legacy. [1] B. Elwin Sherman. ISBN 978-1430317951.
• George W Bush The Legacy of George W Bush, A Collection of Conflicting Opinions ISBN 9781441455437

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: George W. Bush

• The Complete Bushisms by Jacob Weisberg
• DubyaSpeak.com
• How To Talk Like Bush (And Why You Should Want To)
• About.com Bushisms collection
• About.com Top 50 Bushisms
• The Complete Bush Quotes by Est Nyboer

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