Breaking News : George W Bush isn’t dumb!

Published on October 30th, 2009

Posted by honeyman in General, Politics, science

george-bush

Bush’s Brain: Smart, but Too Certain – True Slant

The “Bush is dumb” meme was always unfair. Those who’ve known him, and not just his loyalists, have always disputed such a characterization. First off, something I didn’t know, “Bush scored a 1200 on the SAT (roughly equaling 1300 on today’s re-normed SAT), placing him in the top 16% of all college applicants.” We also know he had better grades than the smarter-seeming John Kerry at Yale…the best estimate of Bush’s IQ at 120-125, in the top 10% of the population and above average for a college graduate — about the same as estimated for Eisenhower and Ford.

The problem with Bush’s leadership style was never lack of intelligence. It was something much closer to intellectual laziness or lack of curiosity. As the authors put it: “Critics charge that President Bush does not seek out information or opposing viewpoints; disdains complexity, nuances, and expert opinion; views policy issues in black-and-white terms based on his own preconceptions; and, refuses to rethink problems or change his views. The research largely bears out these popular perceptions.”

Boy he sure had me fooled.

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# 1 Angus said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:17 am

Even though I voted for him twice, that second paragraph hits the nail on the head. Just like Clinton, he seems the guy you could sit down and have a beer or coffee with, but probably not agree with on a lot of issues.

# 2 Improbus said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:23 am

If it walks like a duck ….

# 3 Mac Guy said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:29 am

Bush’s biggest downfall was his inability to build a consensus. While his ideas were often right on target (such as understanding that immigrants are vital to the US), he couldn’t get others to latch onto them.

And, of course, he had to deal with “politics as usual.”

I think that, in the end, he just said, “fuck it, I’m going to do what I think is right, and if anyone else wants to come on board, that’s just icing on the cake.”

# 4 Village Idiot Intern said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:34 am

The summary sentence that concluded the story says it all. If only president Bush could have demonstrated half that flexibility and agility (of Reagan).

# 5 davo, the uninformed australian said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:37 am

just thinking, an IQ of 125 isn’t dumb by any stretch, i still wouldn’t want someone with that level of smarts leading a country of 300ish million people.
surely for a position as important as president (or politicians in general now that i think about it) they should be choosing from the top .1% of people rather than the top 10%

# 6 Ranger007 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:52 am

#5 “surely for a position as important as president (or politicians in general now that i think about it) they should be choosing from the top .1% of people rather than the top 10%”

Me? I’ll take someone with common sense anyday – and that is pretty hard to find in our national political world today.

# 7 jbellies said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:59 am

Another way of putting it: smart enough, but already too old (intellectually) to run the corner grocery on the day he scored his first celery.

A person has already strutted about voting for Bush Jr. twice. A sure sign that the Bar-bloom is off the O-rose.

Today it’s still pretty rare in Canada to find anybody who admits voting twice for (two-time prime minister) Brian Mulroney. Gotta admire the candour of los Yanquis.

# 8 Sagrilarus said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:09 am

That’s always how I figured Bush. He just didn’t seem interested in the job and struck me as someone who had greatness thrust upon him. Smart, but not curious.

Once Bush started actually leading instead of following (post Rumsfeld seems to be the tipping point in my opinion) he seemed to have a handle on the job and made better decisions. Alas, that was six years into his presidency. Had he surrounded himself with better people earlier in his term (or listened to those who were there) he might have landed that positive legacy he’s hoping for. Alas, opportunity lost.

Note that this opinion is coming from a lifelong Democrat.

Sag.

# 9 GF said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:11 am

Maybe the masses should use another word besides stupid when they don’t agree with someone. Plenty of intelligent people disagree with each other, they usually don’t resort to calling each other stupid. What the real problem with Bush was that no one could offer any other solution that made sense to him. Basically, the opposition was not very persuasive.

Obama, on the other hand, seems to be more open to other ideas but in reality I don’t think he is. He seems a little patronizing to me.

# 10 Bat21 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:22 am

So he can pass a test, so what. Academic achievement does not necessarily equate to “Smart”. I meet “well educated” people every week who haven’t got a lick of common sense and to often have the interpersonal skills of a badger. Stuffing your head full of facts and figures but not having the wisdom to use them is not smart. In fact a President doesn’t have to be the best academically because ideally he is surrounded by staff to provide him with the information to make wise decisions (assuming they don’t lie to him).

# 11 Chris said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:24 am

#2 – If it walks like a radical…

# 12 smittybc said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:32 am

Bush was inarticulate which people equated to dumb, the press especially because they are the opposite. Frankly I don’t want “nuance”, I want clarity. The world is full of very nice individuals with governmental regimes that stink, and telling them they are nice when they stink doesn’t make them stink less, it just makes you a fool for not recognizing they stink.
Here’s a great example of nuance. Obama unilaterally disarmed two of our best allies in Europe (Poland and Czech Republic) with a wink and nod (nuance) to Russia to help Obama with Iran negotiations. What did it get? Russia’s commitment to continue to cooperate with Iran militarily. They told Clinton they don’t even want to talk about Iran, and not to let the door hit her on the way out. Hell, Putin didn’t even show up for the meeting, he was signing a natural gas deal in China. Of course the Western press doesn’t cover this major tactical failure because they like him, he is articulate, and he looks good on TV.

# 13 qb said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:33 am

Ronald Reagan had tons of social smarts, which are the most difficult smarts to learn. He also had a habit of listening very, very closely to people whether he agreed with them or not. Finally, he was genuinely funny and completely comfortable with himself.

GWB is missing all those things.

# 14 StoopidFlanders said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:49 am

Barack Hussein Obama has only been in office for less than a year …and already even democrat loons are looking back on Bush’s time as the good ol’ days! Just another example of the failure that is the current goon.

# 15 BigBoyBC said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:51 am

I never thought Bush as stupid as people claimed, just that he, like Clinton, had poor judgement skills. The difference is Clinton, like Reagan, had the social skills to cover it.

My personal take on GWB,is that he wasn’t as bad as many people made him out to be and that he could have been better than he was.

I hope that when all the “bush-bashing” dies down, history will reflect upon GWB in a true light.

# 16 Improbus said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:52 am

@Chris

I suppose to you anyone to the left of Atilla the Hun is a left wing radical. I was a Reagan Republican once upon a time. I stopped being a Republican the day that Bush and his cohorts started shitting on the Constitution and banging the war drums for Iraq (Remember those nasty WMDs?).

# 17 TSMITW said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:53 am

Sure, he isn’t dumb. I believe you.
My company forced me to go sit through one of his “speeches” on his post-presidential speech tour. The guy is a f-ing moron. Period.

# 18 Dave Farquhar said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:53 am

His problem was that he was stubborn and inarticulate. So he knew what he wanted and wasn’t going to change his mind, but he was completely unable to change YOUR mind either. Or even explain why he thought the way he did.

I was telling people back in 1999 that Bush wasn’t dumb. It was intellectual laziness and arrogance that got him. And unfortunately, he surrounded himself with people who agreed with him, or at least mostly did, and in some cases (*cough* Cheney *cough*) knew how to manipulate him. And it made for a bad combination of traits.

# 19 Mr. Glum said, on October 30th, 2009 at 5:57 am

What’s the difference between “stupid” and “doesn’t care about facts?”

# 20 highaman said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:03 am

So… he’s an intelligent idiot? Massive alcool doses can really screw a brain … how about his SAT before getting into office?

# 21 Alfred1 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:08 am

The real idiots are those who believed the spin Bush is dumb…for all these years…

It is evident to everyone else…you don’t get to be President of the USA if you are dumb.

# 22 Glass Half Full said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:20 am

Rather a moot distinction. It’s not that he wasn’t CAPABLE of using his intellect, he just choose not to use it. Whatever.

Purposefully ignoring “reality” and choosing the see the world in comic book simplistic terms will never lead to good results. It might make you feel good, it might make the public feel good. But it’s not safe, sane or useful.

# 23 MikeN said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:20 am

Yea, you were fooled. Then again Bush was trying to fool you. The only election he lost, it was when his opponent branded him an ivy league elitist out of touch with the district.

# 24 pedro said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:40 am

#5 What kind of a world do you live in? Since when the LCD will choose someone smarter than them to lead them?

# 25 Winston said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:42 am

I’d always wondered how someone who flew a jet in the Air Guard could be so dumb. “Intellectual laziness or lack of curiosity” provides my answer. Not dumb, just “might as well be dumb.”

# 26 billabong3453 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:56 am

It is not how big your dick is it is how you use it and President Bush peed his pants.

# 27 Dallas said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:02 am

I agree he’s not Dumb – He’s Dumber

# 28 pfkad said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:12 am

An old question from my teaching days: What’s sadder; a person who can’t read, or a person who can read, but won’t? The analogy being: What’s sadder; a moron, or a smart person who acts like a moron?

# 29 StoopidFlanders said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:34 am

The whole “Bush is dumb” game was just a ruse to keep the liberals occupied. He needed a plan to unsure they were out of the way and spending their time on nonsense issues while he protected America from those who want to destroy it.

# 30 StoopidFlanders said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:45 am

25. If Bush peed on himself, then by the same standard of measurement, Obama just dropped a mini Obama in his pants.

# 31 Breetai said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:49 am

The only reason Bush was able to get away with half of the crap he did was that the people calling him dumb were so stupid they made him look Fing brilliant.

# 32 Alf said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:10 am

I have to agree with #13. GWB wasn’t dumb and would have been a hoot to be with at dinner. He just didn’t know was appropriate – socially or otherwise.

He didn’t have a subtle thinking process like, our favorite moron, Alfred1.

# 33 right said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:13 am

Everyone knows he’s stupid as a brick, of that there’s no denying.
“Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Duh.

I guess some people will say Palin is smart, as well, even though she took 5 years, 3 states and 4 universities to get through.
She must have been busy reading all those magazines and Supreme Court decisions.

# 34 qb said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:24 am

@right

I think Palin’s got social smarts and tremendous camera appeal. She has zero interest in governance and is a populist which makes a dangerous combination.

# 35 Lee Stevens said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:33 am

Then he fried his brains with drugs and booze.
He certainly was one of the most inept public speakers,he certainly couldn’t deal with the complexities of Iraq,his military record is nebulous and finally he promised to get Osama and failed to deliver. The fact is nothing he did as president was smart, smart is as smart does.Can you imagine if he had gotten threw privatization of Social Security and then the crash happened? He could have been the first President impeached for being too stupid for the job.

# 36 pedro said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:59 am

#32 I see you’re still mad at Dumbya for not going out with you, Mustard.

# 37 Rabble Rouser said, on October 30th, 2009 at 9:19 am

I do not believe it. He was a C student in college, and only got into Yale, because of his dad.

Nope, I don’t believe one word of it.

AFAIC, he’s still a moron!

# 38 The Monster's Lawyer said, on October 30th, 2009 at 9:45 am

I can’t imagine history showing GWB as anything but an ineffectual nincompoop (I believe that’s the correct technical term). I remember when Dick Nixon was getting booted out of office. There were Republicans saying how history will exonerate him. Hasn’t happened yet. Never will.

# 39 bob said, on October 30th, 2009 at 9:52 am

#2- what a lazy, incurious, un-nuanced comment that was.

# 40 bob said, on October 30th, 2009 at 9:55 am

and I see you have lots of lazy, incurious, un-nuanced company!

# 41 Micromike said, on October 30th, 2009 at 10:38 am

Where’s the Bullshit meter on this one. That son of a bitch couldn’t score 85 on his best day, on a real IQ test. Anybody who thinks George W. Bush is of normal intelligence has to be a moron. Bush can’t even speak English, his native tongue. Of course, it could be he has a nearly normal IQ and just hasn’t been sober for 45 years.

# 42 ECA said, on October 30th, 2009 at 10:57 am

says allot about him, EXCEPT..
That others were pushing him to do things..
Probably INCLUDING HIS FATHER..
When 1 group of AGREEING people TELL you what to do, generally you DO IT..as they have been in position longer THEN YOU..
And who were those surrounding him??

# 43 ECA said, on October 30th, 2009 at 10:57 am

can you say PUPPET??

# 44 soundwash said, on October 30th, 2009 at 11:19 am

Please people, don’t be so naive.. this is propaganda in the extreme..

Sounds to me like he once again, was bailed out by his family..daddy bush altered his scores so they could ultimately plant him in the whitehouse.

Nothing about his body language, diction or even or life history ever indicated anything “intelligent” about him. he has been an embarrassment to his family since day one.

The bush empire of corruption had major goals to fulfill and they birthed the perfect ignoramus to enable that desire..

He was the perfect, non-thinking ignorant patzi, -easily controlled and pacified that enabled them to do as they please with the country, once he was planted.

Don’t forget, every business he ever touched, he ran to the ground in ultimate failure. the state he left our country in illustrates this fact perfectly.. he has remained consistently true to his form throughout his life.

With papa bush practically being the virtual embodiment of the CIA, there is no illusion he could not create at a moments notice with the vast resources and knowledge of the CIA at his fingertips.. the cia is all about creating illusions..and the delusional majority of the American public even to this day, still believe everything they see and hear on tv..

Minor note: papa bush is the only president that still gets daily CIA briefings. -he’s in it up to his neck.

Finally:

The problem with Bush’s leadership style was never lack of intelligence. It was something much closer to intellectual laziness or lack of curiosity. As the authors put it: “Critics charge that President Bush does not seek out information or opposing viewpoints; disdains complexity, nuances, and expert opinion; views policy issues in black-and-white terms based on his own preconceptions; and, refuses to rethink problems or change his views. The research largely bears out these popular perceptions.”

I don’t think you could find a better description of a religious zealot or extremest anywhere..

Don’t forget, junior was a “born again christian”, -probably the worst kind of “christian” you can find.

It was a brilliant plan that was executed flawlessly which is now being continued with a mirror image patzi in the new administration.

Wake Up.

-s

# 45 Troublemaker said, on October 30th, 2009 at 11:36 am

It’s easy to score 1200 on an SAT test… when your Daddy pays for another library to be built on Yale’s campus.

# 46 The Monster's Lawyer said, on October 30th, 2009 at 11:37 am

Just checking… Yep, he’s still a dumbass.

# 47 sargasso said, on October 30th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

When it comes to SAT scores, it helps to have a dad who runs the CIA. That’s all I’m saying.

# 48 mastmar221 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 12:59 pm

It isn’t Bush’s relative intelligence with the general population, but rather other presidents. While Bush is easily smarter than most people (even C’s at Yale are better than A’s at my school), he is near the lowest end of the bell curve of presidential intelligence.

Fair or not presidents are compared to other presidents. Not their high school class.

# 49 TwoToTheHead said, on October 30th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

And, his wonderful “America Fourth” policy (behind China, Mexico, and the Mid-East) is what help made America what it is today.

# 50 Wretched Gnu said, on October 30th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

Sorry, but a president who doesn’t know the difference between Saudi Arabians (the 9/11 attackers) and Iraqis is stupid, full stop.

# 51 Floyd said, on October 30th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

So Dubya used my father’s thought process: “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.”

No wonder we’re in this recession.

# 52 RSweeney said, on October 30th, 2009 at 3:55 pm

George Bush supported changing loan rules to create “affordable housing”. He actually is on tape saying that “the down payment is the biggest obstacle to home ownership”

He should have opposed the Democrats assault on lending standards. Guilty.

George Bush tried and failed to stop FANNIE and FREDDIE from their high flying, “we’ll buy any mortgage” unregulated bond kiting ways. Allowing Barney Frank and Congressional Democrats to stop regulation in its tracks.

And Bush began the bail out frenzy by supporting TARP (which the Democrats supported as well).

So, for failing to stop the Democrats from creating the housing bubble and allowing FREDDIE and FANNIE to spread the muck into every corner of the financial system, and starting the bail outs which Obama has driven to unimagined heights, yes, Bush is guilty.

# 53 justthetruth said, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

Met the man on many occasions and this is spot-on…you cannot have a conversation with him and thnk he’s dumb…but he’s not curious, and made his mind up a long time ago and will not change. So very unwise, but not dumb.

I disagreed with him on almost everything, but given a choice of having dinner with him or current thin-skinned paranoid ideologue (who would try to destroy and attack you for disagreeing) there’s no contest.

One thing I will give Bush, he can take abuse. The bile and nastiness simply does not bother him because he does not take his worth from what a bunch of potty-mouthed screamers think (that includes nearly all Democrats now).

I think one reason he engenders such hatred is that you can’t get to him. He doesn’t care about what you think, and you can’t handle that.

# 54 Improbus said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:16 pm

@justthetruth

You wouldn’t be a Bonesman would you?

# 55 Animby said, on October 30th, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Yet we still can’t see Obama’s school records or find anything he wrote at Harvard.

# 56 gal416 said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:01 pm

I had a sister in-law once who graduated from a well known university, suma cum laude and she was as silly and stupid as anyone I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could spit a rat. That goes for Bush also.

# 57 Rick Cain said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:29 pm

1200 on the SAT is NOT THAT GOOD. I scored an 1170 and I’m a moron.

# 58 deowll said, on October 30th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

“does not seek out information or opposing viewpoints; disdains complexity, nuances, and expert opinion; views policy issues in black-and-white terms based on his own preconceptions; and, refuses to rethink problems or change his views.”

I agree this is Bush but it is also Obama.

# 59 Thomas said, on October 30th, 2009 at 8:53 pm

#37
You do realize that everything at Yale is graded on a curve? So, a C student means he was smarter than half the students there.

#58
IMO, Obama strikes me as an overthinker and indecisive. He states his position as rather black-and-white but when it gets to the implementation, he turns wishy-washy. I’d imagine in the course of dinner that by the end of the meal you could convince him of the opposite of his position at the outset of the meal.

Bush was more of a “let’s go with whatever we have and see how it works out.” To the extreme, neither solution is ideal. Good leaders need to gather as much information to make an informed decision but it is just as important to know when to stop that process and actually make a decision.

# 60 Rich said, on October 31st, 2009 at 4:36 am

I recall a scene on TV during the 2000 election when he sat cross-legged and with a demeanor that indicated confidence, like he knew he was going to win. That was when the vote was so close; you all remember it. Now I realize that was well-founded confidence, not the attitude of a simpleton. I think the media poisoned me against him somewhat.

# 61 smartalix said, on October 31st, 2009 at 7:28 am

I’ve always maintained that Bush wasn’t stupid, he just didn’t care to know. Biug difference.

# 62 GetReal said, on October 31st, 2009 at 8:14 am

“someone who had greatness thrust upon him.” Greatness? No, he failed big time. Thrusted by who?

Before he had the presidency thrust upon him (geez), he failed at everything he tried. This, even though the ventures were handed to him by his father and his ultra-rich pals. Why did they help him? Because Poppy Bush asked them to, and because they saw a future payback – time and again. They were right because they got him into the White House, and they got their rewards.

“It is evident to everyone else . . you don’t get to be President of the USA if you are dumb.”

Obviously wrong! You can get to be President of the USA if you are dumb and have enough influential friends and family. You can even get to own a baseball team on other people’s money that way.

Besides, getting to be President of the USA is not a reward for being smart, dumb or anything else. It is a job that must be done well.

As in everything else he dabbled in, he failed. This time, thousands of Americans died for it.

“The fact is nothing he did as president was smart, smart is as smart does.Can you imagine if he had gotten through privatization of Social Security and then the crash happened?”

AMEN, LEE

The worst thing is that so many Americans voted for him twice for the stupidest of reasons, and still refuse to see clearly.

# 63 Misanthropic Scott said, on October 31st, 2009 at 2:02 pm

Scoring high on MAMBIT (mental abilities measured by intelligence tests) is no indication of quality rational and veridical thinking. The correct term for Bush’s mental state is dysrationalia.

# 64 Blues said, on November 1st, 2009 at 3:30 pm

So, technically he’s not retarded. He has a brain but is too lazy to use it. That seems like the very definition of stupidity.

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