60 yrs of beating (around the) Bush

Shashank Chouhan

Born July 6, 1946, George Walker Bush is the 43rd and current President of the United States of America. Bush was elected President in the 2000 presidential election and re-elected in the 2004. He previously served as the 47th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000, and is the eldest son of former United States President George H. W. Bush. What the President says to a nation is generally considered as a beacon for its people. The President’s words define the characteristic of a country and the path it is to undertake. And when the President of the most powerful country on Earth opines on any issue, the world lends its ears with bated breath. But while JFK inspired the people of the world by saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,” – the current incumbent of that mighty chair had this to say on board a fighter jet: “You know I don`t spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."

As Bush`s era ends, we take a look at 60 nuggets of Bushspeak, which have come to be known as Bushisms. Does the collection reflect Bush’s personality? We leave it on the reader to decide..

"You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 -- 1976." --George W. Bush, to Queen Elizabeth, Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007"

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001

"I don`t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don`t care. It`s not that important. It`s not our priority." —Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

"But all in all, it`s been a fabulous year for Laura and me." —summing up his first year in office, three months after the 9/11 attacks, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway." —explaining why high taxes on the rich are a failed strategy, Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004

"What I`m telling you is there`s too many junk lawsuits suing too many doctors." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 10, 2007

"Either we`ll succeed, or we won`t succeed. And the definition of success as I described is sectarian violence down. Success is not no violence." --George W. Bush, on Iraq, Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

"There are jobs Americans aren`t doing. ... If you`ve got a chicken factory, a chicken-plucking factory, or whatever you call them, you know what I`m talking about." --George W. Bush. Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"Do you have blacks, too?" —to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001

"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." —as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002

"We both use Colgate toothpaste." —after a reporter asked what he had in common with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Camp David, Md., Feb. 23, 2001

"I`ve heard he`s been called Bush`s poodle. He`s bigger than that. This is just background noise, a distraction from big things.”-- Bush on his relationship with the former British PM Tony Blair on the day he left office, June 27, 2007

"Tribal sovereignty means that; it`s sovereign. I mean, you`re a — you`ve been given sovereignty, and you`re viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004

"I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." —Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001

"I saw a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America. It`s pretty darn strong. I mean, the people see a better future." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, 2004

"Haven`t we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?" —to economic advisers discussing a second round of tax cuts, as quoted by former Treasury Secretary Paul O`Neil, Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2002

"It is white." —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001

"I couldn`t imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." —at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001

"I don`t know why you`re talking about Sweden. They`re the neutral one. They don`t have an army." —during a Dec. 2002 Oval Office meeting with Rep. Tom Lantos, as reported by the New York Times

"You forgot Poland." —to Sen. John Kerry during the first presidential debate, after Kerry failed to mention Poland`s contributions to the Iraq war coalition, Miami, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004

"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn`t do my job." —to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004

“We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories … And we`ll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven`t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they`re wrong, we found them." —Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003

"Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" —President George W. Bush, joking about his administration`s failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents` Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004

"This process has been drug out a long time, which says to me it`s political." --George W. Bush, discussing the controversy surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Sofia, Bulgaria, June 11, 2007

"Wisdom and strength, and my family, is what I`d like for you to pray for." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

"There are some similarities, of course (between Iraq and Vietnam). Death is terrible." --George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"I`ve been in politics long enough to know that polls just go poof at times." --George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"I said to her, make sure the rug says `optimistic person comes to work.`" --George W. Bush, on his instructions to First Lady Laura Bush in choosing a rug for the Oval Office, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"Can we win? I don`t think you can win it." —after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." —speaking underneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003

"If this were a dictatorship, it`d be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I`m the dictator." —Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 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." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

"These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." --George W. Bush, Sofia, Bulgaria, June 11, 2007

"My job is a job to make decisions. I`m a decision -- if the job description were, what do you do -- it`s decision maker." --George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"A good marriage is really good after serving together in Washington, D.C." --George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"The best thing about my family is my wife. She is a great first lady. I know that sounds not very objective, but that`s how I feel. And she`s also patient. Putting up with me requires a lot of patience." --George W. Bush, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

"Suiciders are willing to kill innocent life in order to send the projection that this is an impossible mission." --George W. Busy, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2007

"The solution to Iraq -- an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself -- is more than a military mission. Precisely the reason why I sent more troops into Baghdad." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2007

"They`re innocent, they were doing nothing, and they were summarily plucked out of water." --George W. Bush, on British sailors who were detained by Iran while on patrol in the Persian Gulf, Camp David, March 31, 2007

"I`m a strong proponent of the restoration of the wetlands, for a lot of reasons. There`s a practical reason, though, when it comes to hurricanes: The stronger the wetlands, the more likely the damage of the hurricane." --George W. Bush, New Orleans, March 1, 2007

"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn`t here." —at the President`s Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.`` —Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what`s moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2003

"I`m the commander — see, I don`t need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That`s the interesting thing about being president." —as quoted in Bob Woodward`s Bush at War

"I try to go for longer runs, but it`s tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It`s sad that I can`t run longer. It`s one of the saddest things about the presidency." —interview with "Runners World," Aug. 2002

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." —Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003

"Oh, no, we`re not going to have any casualties." —discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson

"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It`s just unacceptable. And we`re going to do something about it." —Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001

"I`m the master of low expectations." —aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don`t attack each other. Free nations don`t develop weapons of mass destruction." —Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." —State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003, making a claim that administration officials knew at the time to be false

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we`re really talking about peace." —Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002

"My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we`re going to run out of debt to retire." —radio address, Feb. 24, 2001

"The inhabitants of Greece are Greecians".

"My answer is bring them on." —on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003

"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." —Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001

"People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in`s house and say I love you." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

"There`s a lot of blowhards in the political process, you know, a lot of hot-air artists, people who have got something fancy to say." -George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007

"My relationship with this good man is where I`ve been focused, and that`s where my concentration is. And I don`t regret any other aspect of it. And so I - we filled a lot of space together." - Bush, on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007

“I believe that a prosperous, democratic Pakistan will be a steadfast partner for America, a peaceful neighbour for India, and a force for freedom and moderation in the Arab world.” - mistakenly identifying Pakistan as an Arab country, Islamabad, Pakistan, March 3, 2006 Farewell, Mr President!