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CounterPunch
November
13, 2002
The
Whole World Asks: Is It Even Possible?
"Underestimating Bush's Intelligence"
by BEN ROBERTS
Last weekend one of the talking heads on a popular
TV talk show announced, "we underestimate Bush's intelligence."
I heard this and got to wondering if this was an oxymoron or
not. The word oxymoron is defined in the dictionary as contradiction.
Is Bush's actions and behavior a contradiction of this quality
of intelligence that is being ascribed to him? I went back in
my mind to some of the things said by, said of, and done by George
Bush to see if we are really underestimating the man's intelligence,
or if we have a glaring oxymoron on our hands. You will be left
to decide. First things first.
As the dust settles in an election less
than a week ago, and the Democrats are reeling from a massive
loss, Bush is being given accolades for being smart and being
a good strategist for stumping in the crucial election races
to put his people over the top, resulting in a resounding victory.
From where I sit the Democrats lost to themselves. And I mean
long before the wake for Senator Paul Wellstone. They lost when
Gephardt groveled at Bush feet after endorsing the resolution
authorizing him to attack Iraq, while at the same time his fellow
Democrat and respected elder statesman Senator Robert Byrd was
imploring his colleagues against supporting it. They lost when
they refrained from attacking Bush on the sinking American economy
and the loss of confidence in the U.S. stock market with the
fall of Enron, WorldCom, etc., etc., and his involvement in such
events. They lost when they stood idly by as one of their most
vibrant and lucid colleagues, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
of Georgia was attacked and robbed of her seat in the primaries.
So, in all honesty, can we truly label this event a case of smarts
or intelligence on Bush's part? You decide.
A few weeks ago, while using public transportation
I overheard two young men talking. Well, actually I did not overhear.
They were talking so loud that I could not help hearing. One
was African American and the other Hispanic. The Hispanic asks
his buddy if he supports, and is pleased with how Bush is handling
things. The African American response was, "Are you kidding?
George Bush is nothing more than the village idiot. All he and
his Republicans are good for is giving the military a big raise
and ruining the economy." I began wondering if people like
this young man were consulted in national polls that report Bush's
overwhelming support among Americans. I think not. It is people
like this youth and those in his community, black and young,
who refrained from voting, ensuring the Democrats demise. In
this case are we ascribing Bush's intelligence to disillusioned
voters?
To effect the war in Afghanistan, Bush
and his Administration became cozy with Pakistan. This meant
Bush, the leader of the world's greatest democracy, embracing
Pervez Musharaff, the leader of that country. The man came to
power in a coup, and is a military dictator who has never allowed
elections. Was this relationship a good thing? Ask India. The
result of this coziness meant Musharaff asked for what he wanted
and got it. Mainly money and military hardware. This no doubt
alarmed New Delhi, the capital of the world's largest democracy.
The upshot was that India and Pakistan came to the point of a
dangerous nuclear exchange. There was a lot of shuttle diplomacy
with Rumsfeld, and various international officials rushing to
the region to restore calm. Did the American strategist and leaders,
including Bush, not realize that this crisis was bound to happen
with such behavior towards Pakistan? Was this a display of intelligence?
Some time ago Bush announced that Iraq,
Iran, and North Korea constituted the axis of evil. He further
stated that these nations were "run by unelected leaders."
This created an uproar among friends and enemies abroad. South
Korea was alarmed. It had made a lot of headway in dealing with
its neighbor North Korea, and felt that Bush was bungling things.
They demanded an explanation. North Korea retorted that Bush
was a buffoon who knew nothing of the world. One retort from
abroad was that Bush himself was unelected, but court appointed.
I remember wondering about the wisdom of Bush accusation of unelected
leaders, while he was like two peas in a pod with Pakistan's
Pervez Musharaff, an unelected military leader. Was this a display
of intelligence on Bush's part?
Right after September 11 Bush urged America
to go about its business as usual and to "take trips"
and "buy stocks." Those were his words. I was puzzled
by this strange advice. Shortly thereafter the American stock
market tumbled as Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom, Global Crossing
etc., etc., disintegrated. Now George Bush has a masters degree
in accounting. What am I to make of someone, a specialist in
the field of finances, advising on the value of stock purchases,
only to see the stock market evaporate within weeks of his advice.
When asked about the market dive and Enron, Bush countered, "I
too have been affected by the stock market plunge because my
mother-in-law lost money." What? What does this detrimental
advice by Bush say about his intelligence?
Remember that prior to September 11,
many leading analysts and critics here in America thought Bush
was inept, underexposed, and an embarrassment to the presidency.
They said so regularly. Abroad, the Europeans, including the
British, couldn"t wait for him to cross the pond to attack
him on issues ranging from trade to his penchant for the death
penalty. They did not think much of his smarts and ability. Has
Bush proven all of his detractors wrong, or is it an oxymoron
to use the name George W. Bush and intelligence in the same sentence?
You decide.
Ben Roberts
is a newsletter editor and freelance writer. He can be contacted
by email at: grandt730@aol.com
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November 10,
2002
Ali Abunimah
Sharon's
Appendix
M. Shahid
Alam
Political Geography
Zionist Theses and Anti-Theses
Michael Neumann
Demonstrating a Genteel Reticence
Rosemary &
Walter Brasch
Personal Possession:
War and Iraq, a Recollection
Ralph Nader
The Mid-term Elections
Mark J. Palmer
Bring Back the Grizzly
Robert Fisk
Bush's "Clean Shot"
Dave Marsh
And the Beat(ing) Goes On
Adam Engel
No Blood for Marijuana in Iraq
Josh Frank
Sleater-Kinney
Rocks
Our Protest Songs Are Here
Clifford Lyle Marshall
Give the Trinity Back to the Salmon
Zeynep Toufe
Turn These Children into Stone
Philip Farruggio
In Name Only
Charles Sullivan
Mountain Party Rising!
Bernard, Krieger, Alam
Poets'Basement
Resources:
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