Bushism: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Bush at podium 20050428.jpg|thumb|250px|"But Iraq has—have got people there that are willing to kill, and they're hard-nosed killers. And we will work with the Iraqis to secure their future."[http://slate.com/id/76886/]]] |
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A '''Bushism''' is any of a number of peculiar [[word]]s, [[phrase]]s, [[pronunciation]]s, [[malapropism]]s, semantic or linguistic errors and gaffes that have occurred in the public speaking of [[President of the United States|United States President]] [[George W. Bush]] and, before that, of his father [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite book |
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|last=Bines |
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|first=Jonathan |
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|coauthors=Editors of the ''[[The New Republic|New Republic]]'' |
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|title=Bushisms: President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words |
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|publisher=Workman Pub Co |
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|date=May 1992 |
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|isbn=1-56305-318-7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyquotes/a/georgehwbushism.htm |
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|title=George H.W. Bushisms |
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|publisher=About: Political Humor |
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|accessdate=2007-03-24 |
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}}</ref> The term (a [[neologism]]) has become part of popular folklore, and is the basis of a number of websites and published books. It is often used to [[caricatures|caricature]] the two presidents. |
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==Characteristics== |
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Some common characteristics of Bushisms include: |
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* Use of words that sound similar to intended words but are either inappropriate for the context (''i.e.'' [[malapropism]], such as "[[Nucular]] power ''pants''" instead of "Nuclear power ''plants''"<ref>{{cite speech |
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| author = G.W. Bush |
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| date = [[September 30]] [[2003]] |
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| location = Chicago, Illinois}}</ref>), or completely alter the meaning of the sentence, such as using "[[devaluation]]" instead of "[[deflation (economics)|deflation]]" (which "caused confusion in the currency markets"),<ref>{{cite web | title = Bush gaffe hits yen|publisher = [[BBC]]|date = 2002-02-18 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1825593.stm| accessdate = 2007-04-09 }}</ref> [[OPEC]] instead of [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]],<ref name="OPEC">{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22378059-29277,00.html|title="APEC? OPEC? Thanks Austria"|date=[[September 7]],[[2007]]|publisher=[[The Herald Sun]]}}</ref> or [[Austria]] instead of [[Australia]]<ref name="OPEC" /> |
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* Constructing [[neologism]]s such as "tacular"<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A8907-2000May4¬Found=true |
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|title=What's on W's Mind? Hard To Say. |
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|accessdate=2006-10-12 |
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|author=[[Dana Milbank]] |
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|date=[[May 5]] [[2000]] |
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|publisher=The Washington Post |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,996047-5,00.html |
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|title=McCain's Moment |
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|accessdate=2007-04-03 |
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|author=Nancy Gibbs |
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|date=[[Feb 14]] [[2000]] |
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|publisher=Time |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/2000/02/04/wus04.html |
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|title=Bush image damaged by his slips of the tongue |
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|accessdate=2006-10-12 |
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|author=Ben Fenton |
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|date=[[Feb 4]] [[2000]] |
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|publisher=Telegraph |
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}}</ref> (a [[portmanteau]] of "tactical" and "[[nucular]]") and "misunderestimated" ("misunderstood" and "underestimated")<ref>{{cite speech |
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|author=G.W. Bush |
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|date=[[November 6]] [[2000]] |
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|location=Bentonville, Arkansas |
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}}</ref> |
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* Occasional use of [[spoonerism]]s such as "mexed missages" (mixed messages) and "terriers and bariffs" (barriers and tariffs)<ref>{{cite speech |
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| author = G.W. Bush |
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| date = [[January 7]] [[2001]] |
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| location = Rochester, New York |
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}}</ref> |
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* Folksy pluralization of, or addition of articles to, familiar terms ("suiciders",<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/05/20060523-9.html |
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|title=President Bush and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel Participate in Joint Press Availability |
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|date=[[May 23]] [[2006]] |
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|publisher=The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |
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}}</ref> "[[Internets (colloquialism)|Internets]]",<ref>{{cite web | title = Transcript of the third Gore-Bush presidential debate | publisher = Commission on Presidential Debates | date = 2000-10-17 | url = http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2000c.html | accessdate = 2006-12-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Transcript of the second Bush-Kerry presidential debate | publisher = Commission on Presidential Debates | date = 2004-10-08 | url = http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004c.html | accessdate = 2006-12-22 }}</ref> and "the [[Google]]"<ref>{{cite web | title = Bush says he uses “the Google”. Interview with [[CNBC]]'s [[Maria Bartiromo]]. | publisher = Think Progress | date = 2006-10-23 | url = http://thinkprogress.org/2006/10/23/bush-says-he-uses-the-google/ | accessdate = 2006-12-22 }}</ref>) |
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* Using informal and non-standard language to describe the job of the presidency such as "I'm a commander guy"<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070502-2.html |
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|title=President Bush Discusses War on Terror, Economy with Associated General Contractors of America |
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|publisher=[[White House|The White House]] |
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|date=May 2007 |
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}}</ref><ref>The official White House transcript states that President Bush said "a commander guy" but numerous reporters and the official stenographer at the event quote him as saying "the commander guy." See: {{cite web |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN0449246620070504?feedType=RSS |title=Bush is A commander guy, not THE commander guy |publisher=Reuters |date=May 4, 2007}}</ref>, or "I'm the decider"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/18/rumsfeld/|title=Bush: 'I'm the decider' on Rumsfeld|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=[[April 18]], [[2006]]}}</ref> |
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* Redundancy intended to add emphasis, but obfuscate the message such as "We had a chance to visit with Teresa Nelson who's a parent, and a mom or a dad"<ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030909-3.html |
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| title = President Bush Discusses the "No Child Left Behind Act" in Florida |
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| accessdate = 2006-10-12 |
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| date = [[Sept 9]] [[2003]] |
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| publisher = The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |
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}}</ref> or "If you want to help, give cash money to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050902-2.html|title=White House Press Conference|date=[[September 2]], [[2005]]}}</ref> |
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* Change of subject mid-sentence, such as, "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport"<ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011002-8.html |
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| title = President Opens Reagan National Airport |
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| accessdate = 2006-10-12 |
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| date = [[Oct 2]] [[2001]] |
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| publisher = The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |
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}}</ref> |
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*Wrong word order within a sentence, such as, "give my chance a plan to work"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkTN-kdl374|title=Bush ism on Charlie Rose - "Give my chance a plan to work" |
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|accessdate = 2007-05-02}}</ref> |
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*Explaining the obvious, such as, "I appreciate preservation. It's what you do when you run for President, you've got to preserve"<ref name="WH Dinner 01">{{cite web|||url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010330-1.html|pub|title=Remarks by the President at the Radio-Television Correspondents Association 57th Annual Dinner|accessdate=2007-04-09}}</ref> |
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Some columnists, including the late [[Molly Ivins]] (the co-author of a book of Bushisms), have suggested that Bush may have difficulty speaking "Washington English", and that he may be trying to cover his accent by over-emphasizing words. Some have hypothesized that Bush is not familiar with some of the words that he feels he must use as a president.<ref>{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/KathleenParker/2006/08/23/intellectually_curious_george?page=full |
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| title = Intellectually curious George |
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| accessdate = 2007-03-28 |
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| publisher = [[Townhall.com]] |
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| date = August 23, 2006 |
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| author = Kathleen Parker |
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}}</ref> |
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=="Make the Pie Higher" poem== |
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A [[poem]] composed entirely of Bushisms titled "[http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokebushpiehigher.htm Make the Pie Higher]" has become popular on the [[Internet]]. Each line contains some sort of grammatical error, logical error, or unusual usage and is said to have been uttered by George W. Bush. Although its origin is uncertain, it has been attributed to [[Washington Post]] [[political cartoon]]ist and [[satire|satirist]] [[Richard Thompson (cartoonist)|Richard Thompson]]. The poem has been criticized as [[apocrypha]]l. However, the [[Urban Legends Reference Pages]] at [[Snopes.com]] have verified all but the line "''I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity''" as having been spoken by Bush at one point or another during his presidency.<ref name="snopes">{{cite web |
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| url = http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/piehigher.asp |
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| title = Make the Pie Higher! |
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| accessdate = 2006-10-12 |
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| date = [[2002]] |
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| publisher = Snopes.com |
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}}</ref> The site has also noted that the president made reference to "mential losses", not "mental losses" as the poem claims. This phrase was possibly in reference to missile launches. |
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== "You forgot Poland" == |
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During a debate with [[John Kerry]] in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election, Kerry told Bush that getting three countries is not a "grand collation" of forces for the invasion of [[Iraq]]. Bush, who had used Poland earlier in the debate as an example of the international presence in Iraq, replied by saying "Well, actually, he forgot Poland."<ref>{{cite web | title = Transcript of the first Bush-Kerry presidential debate | publisher = Commission on Presidential Debates | date = 2004-09-30 | url = http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004a.html | accessdate = 2006-12-07 }}</ref> In the overall situation, Poland has contributed<ref>http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=2011993&eventId=1508071</ref> 2,500 combat troops by August of 2003, placing them fifth behind South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. However this phrase was used by Bush detractors as a humorous and petty rebuttal of Kerry's original point. |
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==Other Bushisms== |
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* "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?"<ref name="slate">{{cite web||author=[[Jacob Weisberg]]|url=http://www.slate.com/id/76886/|publisher=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate Magazine]]|title=The Complete Bushisms|accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref><ref name="annual">{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/03/20010330-1.html|title=Remarks by the President at the Radio-Television Correspondents Association 57th Annual Dinner |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary|date=March 29, 2001|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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* "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."<ref name=slate/><ref name="annual"/> |
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* "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."<ref name=slate/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/08/20040805-3.html|title=President Signs Defense Bill |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary|date=August 5, 2004|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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* "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die."<ref name=slate /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061207-1.html|title=President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair|publisher=Office of the Press Secretary|date=December 7, 2006|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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* "I think that the vice president is a person reflecting a half-glass-full mentality."<ref name=slate /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0701/30/cnr.01.html|title=Insurgents Launch Attacks on Shiite Pilgrims as They Celebrate Holy Day; Iraq Strategy; Story of a Champion|date=January 30, 2007|accessdate=2007-03-28|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> |
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*"You're working hard to put food on your family."<ref name=snopes /><ref>{{cite speech|author=George W. Bush|url=http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushism-foodonfamily.htm|date=Jan. 27, 2000|location=Nashua, N.H., USA|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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* "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many [[Obstetrics and gynaecology|OB/GYN]]s aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."<ref name=slate/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040906-4.html|title=President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Poplar Bluff, Missouri |publisher=Office of the Press Secretary|date=September 6, 2004|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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* "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."<ref name=slate/><ref>{{cite speech|author=George W. Bush|location=LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA|date=Oct. 18, 2000}}</ref> |
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* "This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mential losses."<ref name=slate /><ref name="snopes"/> |
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* "There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says: fool me once, shame on ... (long pause) shame on you? (long pause) Fool me - you can't get fooled again."<ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020917-7.html |
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|title=Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education, East Literature Magnet School, Nashville, Tennessee |
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|date=[[September 17]] [[2002]] |
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|publisher=The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |
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|accessdate=2007-01-31 |
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}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/bushvideos/v/bushfoolme.htm|title=Bushism Video: Fool Me Once|publisher=About:Political Humor|accessdate=2007-03-28}}</ref> |
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*"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a [[literacy test]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushdumbquotes.htm|title=The 50 Dumbest Things President Bush Said in His First Term|accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/02/20010221-5.html |
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|title=President Bush speaks at Townsend Elementary School in Tennessee |
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|date=February 21, 2001 |
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|publisher=The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |
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|accessdate=2007-03-28 |
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}}</ref> |
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*"Childrens do learn." <ref>{{cite web |
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|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/26/AR2007092601015.html?hpid=moreheadlines |
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|title=Bush: No Child Left Behind Is Working |
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|date=[[September 26]] [[2007]] |
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|publisher=Washington Post Newspaper |
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}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Strategery]], originally a ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' parody of a Bushism |
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* [[Internets (colloquialism)]] |
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* [[Dead Ringers (comedy)#George W. Bush|Dead Ringers]] |
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* [[Nucular]] |
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* [[U.S. Presidents IQ hoax]] |
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* [[List of political catch phrases]] |
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* [[Warren G. Harding#Speaking style|Warren G. Harding]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|2}} |
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===Related linguistic elements=== |
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* [[Yogiism]] |
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* [[Malapropism]] |
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* [[Neologism]] |
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* [[Eggcorn]] |
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==Further reading== |
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* Frank, Justin A., ''Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President '' (2004), ISBN 0-06-073670-4. |
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* [[Mark Crispin Miller|Miller, Mark Crispin]]. ''The Bush Dyslexicon'' (2001), ISBN 0-393-04183-2. |
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* ''George W. Bushisms: The Accidental Wit and Wisdom of Our 43rd President''. Ed. [[Jacob Weisberg]]. ISBN 0-7407-4456-9. |
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* ''Bushisms/President George Herbert Walker Bush in His Own Words'' [[The New Republic|New Republic]]. Workman Pub Co., May[[1992]], ISBN 1-56305-318-7 |
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* ''George W. Bush -- On The Trips Of His Tongue -- A Linguistic Legacy.'' [http://www.toolkitinparadise.com/Trimmed_Down_Herbie_081007/Books.html] B. Elwin Sherman. ISBN 978-1430317951. |
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==External links== |
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{{wikiquotepar|George W. Bush}} |
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*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kixh53QvNek Examples of Bushism] Video of Bushism |
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*[http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Leaderofwhat The Leader of What] A collection of Bush's funniest moments. |
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*[http://www.slate.com/id/76886/ The Complete Bushisms] Updated frequently. By Jacob Weisberg |
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*[http://www.dubyaspeak.com DubyaSpeak.com] |
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*[http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/piehigher.asp "Pie Higher" at Snopes.com] |
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*[http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/03/bushisms-videoroll.html Bushisms VideoRoll] |
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*[http://www.figarospeech.com/talk-like-bush/ Bushism as a figure of speech] |
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*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,807587,00.html Story in the Guardian] |
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*[http://www.daytondailynews.com/forum/mboard/SpeakUp!/controlDb?PageId=TlToVt&topicID=87683&boardId=165 Dayton Daily News] |
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*[http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushisms.htm About.com Bushisms Collection] |
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*[http://thegoogleontheinternets.com/ The Google on the Internets - Spoof of Internet related Bushisms] |
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*[http://welttag.blogspot.com/2006/12/bush-best-quotes.html W Bush Best Quotes Blogspot] |
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*[http://estnyboer.com/bush/ The Complete Bush Quotes] Updated frequently by Est Nyboer from The White House website. |
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*[http://www.folkmusic.com/record/r_chief.htm#Hail%20to%20the%20Chief%20(2001) Hail to the Chief], a song composed entirely of Bushisms by [[John McCutcheon]]. |
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{{George W. Bush}} |
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[[Category:George W. Bush]] |
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[[Category:Word play]] |
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[[Category:American culture]] |
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[[Category:Neologisms]] |
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