OMG - our president really is stupid. I mean worse the Forrest Gump stupid.

So our his supporters.

Does the president have a hard time pronouncing some of these countries' names, the spokeswoman was asked.

"I think that's a offensive question,'' she said. "I'm going to just decline to comment on it.''

Posted by Mark Silva on September 25, 2007 3:54 PM | Permalink

We'll go ahead and take that as a "yes."

Also wisely, they didn't let him try to point out those countries on a map.

Does the president have a hard time pronouncing some of these countries' names, the spokeswoman was asked.

"I think that's a offensive question,'' she said. "I'm going to just decline to comment on it.''

That's our Bush. I know I'm proud!

The answer is a resounding YES - pronounced YES. It rhymes with YES.

I think it's good his advisors try to prevent him from messing up and embarrassing the country. Too bad one of them didn't tell him to pay attention when he was warned of impending attacks before 9/11.

"Bush Speaks Of Some Hard-To-Pronounce Countries"

All of this would be hilarious if this fool was just some drunk on a bar stool back in Texas and not the President.

Favorite Bushisms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGRYPYuFZLk

I would love to see some of these jerk reporters pronounce some country's names. In fact, for TV anchors many difficult words are phonetically spelled out. The media in this country is such a farce.

John D,

You would expect the president of the US to be a bit smarter than the average Joe. I would like my president to be able to pronounce the names the various nations of our world. But I guess that's what America gets for voting for "a guy you could have a beer with".

Just think this man had the nerve to call Barack Obama, "intellectually lazy"!

Hypocrisy!

John D,

'...the media ARE...' not 'is'.

I thought YOU claimed to be a journalist.

"You would expect the president of the US to be a bit smarter than the average Joe. "

Marko,

There was a whole talking point during the 00 and 04 campaigns that attempted to explain why the American people wanted to elect someone as average, or even as below average, as George Tiberius.

At the time I knew we were doomed.

Besides Kyrgyzstan, which of these countries are hard to pronounce? Most of them are already phonetic and in the national discourse all the time.

Poor Dana. Mephisto has his cold grip around your soul.

Alt Cap;

'...and so Little Boot adjusts his earpiece.'

LOL! If I have to take a test to get into any school & to get into a good job etc., then a person needs to take a test before he can run for president. Clearly, our commander would have failed the test.

Seriously, who knew how to pronounce Kyrgyzstan before seeing the phonetic spelling? Georgia doesn't seem like a tough one, but this is George Bush we're talking about after all. I hope Dana was just kidding with that "offensive question" remark. A simple "yes" would have covered it. No reason for her to go nukular on the reporters.

I propose a spelling & geography bee for presidential candidates. In fact, why don't we just make one of the debates the National Geographic POTUS Bee. Then, when every presidential candidate mispronounces a country's name, can't spell Kyrgyzstan on the first try or can't name the capital and chief export of Turkmenistan, we can all laugh at them for how stupid they are and move on to more substantive issues.

Yet another instance of an offensive "Silva Sneer" anti-Bush article. From a reporter who, since his start manning a "UFO Hotline", has often mangled spelling, syntax and facts.

I doubt he can pronounce his spokeswoman's name. Pelephant or something like that.

Pronouncin things is HARD. Iss hard WORK. I bet I'm smarter then any a yew. I red a book today. yup all by myself. Iss called Hooked on Foniks.

Alt Cap:

'Here they come spinning out of the turn!!'

(In GWB's earpiece)

'..so we don't like what they are doing. We have a contingency play to take them down. It will be a quick, nuclear surprise. The UK won't know what hit them. Just remember, 30% (guess who) of the American people think we fought against England in WWII!'

Funny that media point out phonetic
pronunciations by Mr. Bush when their brethren in radio and TV (sometimes the same company such as the Trib) use them all the time in their Teleprompters and written copy. And the AP stylebook even has phonetic pronunciations for such "hard-to-pronounce" Illinois city names as
Marseilles, Bourbonnais and Cairo.
The hypocrisy is knee deep.

Bruce if anything in his coverage, of the White House specifically, Silva does so more often than not being too kind to our beacon of ignorance residing in the White House. If I had to bet I'd say he belongs to your party. Nice to know he's not a robot though; he has and isn't afriad of flaws. Everybody has them. Your just upset bc your too afriad of yours. Remember that Obama gaff calling some one a President and not a Prime Minister. Everybody shows that when it comes down to it those who get the lime light are the least prepared of all. It not a left or right thing; it goes straight to that, I'm sorry to say, um-THE-Iraq-and-like-South-Africa -help-THE-Iraq Miss AMERICA moment.....

BTW the way none of those countries names were intended to be read off in their native language (now that's challenging); he has no excuse.

Bush isn't the sharpest tack in the box, but I'll bet he knows how much 2x0 is

Blather,

You're equating the leader of the free world with the talking heads on TV? Talk to John D and get your story straight.

Mr President,

CAN-A-DA sounds just like it's spelled.

Dana,

Got your resume. Let's talk.

Alternate caption:

Hey, they got any Hank Williams on this thing?

President Bush is being criticized for not pronouncing names when Al Gore flunked out of Divintiy and Law School because of alcohol and marijuana. Give me a break and W too. Today Vanderbuilt put Algore as a trustee liberal academia indeed. Jerry White

Reamer, from The Columbia Guide to Standard American English:

"Medium is a singular noun meaning “a size in the middle, between large and small,” as in She wears a medium, I think, but among its other referents it also is “a means of communication, such as the press, television, or radio.” In this sense the word is both singular and plural, but its plural is always the Latin plural media: The media is [are] going to be useful to us."

And the Left continues to show how lame, moronic and hateful they are. Since the Left believes this planet is in danger environmentally, I have the perfect solution: You morons on the Left can do yourselves in. You'll be happier and the rest of mankind will be exceptionally happier and the planet will be much better off environmentally!

Hey Silva,
What is this post's social redeeming value?

To spread more left wing folk lore?

Hate to agree with repub bloggers, but come on, not a big deal.

I was watching the early morning Ch 5 news and after the story on the Prez, Dick Johnson mentioned how there were phonetically spelled words on his tele-prompter right now. And he's professionally trained for that.

Kudos to him for making a little fun of himself and for realizing this is just a humorous item, not a big deal.

How many of you would like to give a big speech and not be sure how to pronounce "Kyrgyzstan"? Wouldn't you want a little reassurance?

There is a plehtora of issues to criticize President Bush about, this is not one of them.

I have an old “Hooked on Phonics” learning pack the Uniter could borrow. I think there is a card with a picture of a nuclear bomb included. Hell, I’ll throw in my 5-year-old daughter’s “Dick and Jane” collection also, as she has advanced past both items – unlike the Chimp.

Jerry White,

Looks like you could use a little help with your spelling and cipherin' too. But heck, I reckon it's pickin' time. Good luck with this year's ethanol crop.

For Kenny Bunkport: In California, CANADA is pronounced "Can-yada," as in the town of La Canada Flintridge. So, things are not always as simple as they appear. Want to try the pronunciation of San Jose, IL? Wrong, it's pronounced
"San JOE-S."

Jerry:

What does Al Gore's college career have to do with this blog?

Kenny:

I think that Jerry has been sniffing this year's ethanol crop.

And by the way, there have been two pronunciations of Bourbonnais - it was pronounce Bor-BANN-is until the 1970's, at which time it was changed to BOur-bonn-ay to reflect on the French derivation of the name.

This is a non-story. It is only prudent to take whatever precautions needed to give a good speech. As much as I don't like the man, his administration and policies, I wouldn’t impeach (im.peach, im pe′ech) him for his poor grammar and pronunciation, just everything else.

"So our his supporters."

Posted by: nisleib | September 25, 2007 4:13 PM

The Special Ed kids I teach aren't dumb enough to get 'are' and 'our' mixed up like that.

And you thought Bush was dumb,

You sure you TEACH Special Ed kids or do just BULLY them by calling them dumb when they make a mistake. Way to go nit picker!

"You sure you TEACH Special Ed kids or do just BULLY them by calling them dumb when they make a mistake. Way to go nit picker!"

Yes, I sure I teach Special Ed Kids
and do just BULLY them.

GET BACK TO CLASS FORREST!

From a reporter who, since his start manning a "UFO Hotline", has often mangled spelling, syntax and facts.

Silva isn't POTUS. No matter how hard he tries to outweird Jewleeani he never will be. Seems as though the regirgitating right that post here have created a new campaign slogan - W for Prez -"when all else fales lower your standerds"

Blather,

Let W know the next time he addresses the UN in California. (!)

Bruce,

Why don't you back up your (as usual) baseless defamation? Isn't there some Vicksburg picnic you have to get to?

And you thought Bush was dumb,

Why get back to class when there's a class act like you schooling on the Swamp, today.

Ding ding. Oh, there's the bell. CLASS IS OVER. You can get off your high horse now, professor.

When you and your buddies can put a proper sentence together by not leaving words out and use the proper punctuation, then you can make fun of someone else.

Bush has problems pronouncing names of some countries, you and your buddies can handle 4th grade English. Who’s the Special Ed candidate now?

Correction. I'm not making fun of you. I'm replying to you. I only snapped back at you for nit picking an "our" instead of an "are" in someone's post. A tall man like yourself, professor, wouldn't spend so much time making fun of other's typos, but hey if you see the value in pointing out the president can't master the names of countries you learn in 4th grade by now when average people can't handle 4th grade English, me an my other buddies outside the US are laughing at all of you in the US.

"Who’s the Special Ed candidate now?"

....

You know my sister volunteer's at a Special Education Summer Camp. I remember how she came home with a whole stack of papers on how the subject of special handicaps is sensitive. As a teacher of Special Ed's children why do use that as leverage in your posts. You may think it belittles the opposition, but all it does is belittle you for using it in a derogatory context.

Peace.

Correction, you and your buddies were making fun of the President. I don’t make fun of most people, just jerks that think they are smarter than everyone else.

“A tall man like yourself, professor, wouldn't spend so much time making fun of other's typos, but hey if you see the value in pointing out the president can't master the names of countries you learn in 4th grade by now when average people can't handle 4th grade English, me an my other buddies outside the US are laughing at all of you in the US.“

This paragraph doesn’t make any sense and isn’t even written in English. Laugh all you want, you’re the ignorant fool that can’t put together a coherent English sentence together.

"Who’s the Special Ed candidate now?"

You are.

“As a teacher of Special Ed's children why do use that as leverage in your posts. “

Not leverage, it just points out that 4th grade, Special Ed students are smarter than know-it-alls like you

"you and your buddies can handle 4th grade English"

Well I'm glad they CAN handle 4th grade English while our preznit can't handle 4th grade geography names decades later. Maybe given an assignment to label and color a map for homework in 4th, 5th, 6th grade Bush just didn't color inside the lines. He colored outside of them. It was just too damn hard with all those lines and all those those names. So at the end, he colored the whole world map red and called it America.

BTW, according to your logic. If, "the Special Ed kids I teach aren't dumb enough to get 'are' and 'our' mixed up like that", and if "Bush has problems pronouncing names of some countries, you and your buddies *CAN handle 4th grade English", then Bush IS the Special Ed candidate now.

Did you leave the " t " and the punctuation mark " ' " in can't on purpose or did you really mean can.

Your humbled. I know. Your welcome.

You stumbled on to my evil plan.

I left the 't off on purpose to see if your buddy, And you think your so smart; GET off your high horse!!!, would catch it.

Obviously, he's too dumb to handle 4th grade English, but you get to move on to the 5th grade.

You should be very proud of your academic achievement.

By the way, it’s “you’re humbled”, retard.

Some of you try to excuse bush by saying things like, "Seriously, who knew how to pronounce Kyrgyzstan before seeing the phonetic spelling?" What drivel! I can pronounce all of those countries, name most of the countries they border and point to them on a map without a moments hesitation. I expect the President of the United States to have at least that much knowledge!

re: Jerry White's comments on Gore.
Bush was a self admitted alchoholic and has reportedly had a cocaine habit. Sounds like they are both Presidential material! Too bad only one is capable of speaking English as a first language.

"Correction, you and your buddies were making fun of the President. I don’t make fun of most people, just jerks that think they are smarter than everyone else."

YOU stand corrected. Go reread nislieb's post, your post, and my FIRST post to you. What buddies?? How was I making fun of the President ?? You assumed that I was partaking in anything with anyone. You assumed by association not by what I was responding to in your post. I wasn't making fun of the president. I wasn't cheering anyone on. I respond to what I percieved as a jerk ; someone who thinks they are smarter than others. (Sorry, you fit the bill) Except, I did not make fun of you. I asked, "are you sure you teach those children or do you just bully them when they make a mistake." I would hate to think that your idea of correcting people, working with children, is to call them dumb; which is the equivalent of what you did (I call them bullies). My intentions twoards you were the same as your intentions to nislieb's post. Unfortunately, you decided to toss the first childish insult, and I obliged right back. That is bc you assumed that I was saying anything more than what my post was to you. You assumed that the only reason I said what I said was bc I agreed with nisleib or people who shared similar sentiments. Unfortunately, I do not. You didn't get it bc you keep reading my post thinking that I'm trying to prove one thing or the other. When in reality I acknowledged if people can't use 4th grade English (or can only use 4th grade English)AND (ADDED) if there are people who can't pronounce (and need help with)the names of countries (one would hope they are familiar with starting the 4th grade on) then it is not about Bush. Me and the world are laughing at AMERICA. The poor state of affairs in AMERICA. BC quite frankly English is my third language. Thanks, but I do quite well in all three. I didn't know this was the forum for best work written. I still don't. I care about what people say on the internet more with all its particular freelance jargon than the faults and follies that come with it. Typos, missing words, letters, misnomers, grammar, punctuation, etc. Maybe we define jerk differently, but we sure react the same way. That's all.

Now it's all cleared up. Got it. Get it. Alright then. Shalom.

Spare me your patronizing and condescending attitude grumpy old man. Nice cop out, too. Sounds to me like making fun of people isn't the exception to you. It's a rule.
Retard?? Nice one. Congratulations, you have now mastered kindergarten. Please, move on up to first grade.

Ps. Maybe you should put those editorial talents to some real use, and quite auditing on here. You might burst a vein, you know. God forbid any one will go all SMS on you. Hate to see how you'd deal with that. Missing letters. Odd punctuation. Smiley faces.

"Me and the world are laughing at AMERICA"

Wrong, it should be "the world and I are laughing at America."

That's fine, were laughing at you.

Grumpy old man.

I'm not grumpy, not old (29), and not a man. Not only do you not know English, your analytical skills suck too.

"quite auditing" ????

What are you trying to say, retard?

Mastered kindergarten, good one, I have a Masters in Education though.

I won't burst a vein, I work with people like you (children) all day.

SMS ?? Is that your idea of English?

"That's fine, were laughing at you."

Wrong, it should be, "we're laughing at you."

No, we're laughing at you.

Look, do I have to mail you that olive branch to get it. I tried to clear it up. It was obviously a misunderstanding that got a bit out of hand. "Me and the world are laughing at you." That was me referring to my preceding post you so kindly processed and spit out as a reference point. Granted, either way it is grammatically incorrect. My point is that English is not my first language. As a non-native speaker I do quite well in it; given that it is not my first language. It is a laughable shame that if your right about some people when it comes to English, and if I'm right about some people when it comes to knowledge of basic country names in English, together the state of affairs in America is sad. It is an observation. Granted, flavored by opinion. The bottom line, however, is that all of this was and is a misunderstanding. I picked you up as a jerk on my radar bc you picked up nislieb as a jerk on your radar. We defined jerk differently, and acted the same way accordingly.

This is irrelevant, but I am and have been an American for quite sometime. I can laugh with the world at America. I'm not afraid to admit that at times we can be the laughing stock of the world. Don't mistaken my ability to laugh at myself and my country, too, as "knowing-it-all." The olive branch is in the mail.

I could care less if you really are or aren't a grumpy old man. You can save that for your biography. It doesn't change the fact you still sound like a grumpy old man.

For someone who thinks so highly of themselves you wouldn't resort to calling people names. Especially, Retard.... You teach children with learning disabilities and you resort to that of all names. No matter how you slice it, it reflects poorly on you to make an exception for the words use. SMS ?? No, not my idea of English, but it is very close to what you will come across on these posts. There is a certain informality that exists on here, and try not to pop a vein. Have you met Jerry White?? Didn't jump on him, huh?? I wonder why ?? Is this Jena Bush defending daddy, or Hager ?? Oh, btw you stumbled on to my evil plan. I left the ' an e out.

Wink Wink. Whatever. Grumpy old man.

High Horse,

Keep your olive branch.

Laughing Douche (AHHHAHHAHHA),

I don't think 'so highly' of myself. I just think lowly of people like you.

"it reflects poorly on you to make an exception for the words use."

Another brilliant example of an idiot trying to make a point. Just give up, you're embarrassing yourself. You should stop while you're behind.

oh, ill stop when i'm behind when you stop and move on forward.... my gift to you have a ball with it.... don't pop any veins in the process...

Is that the best you can do?

Come on, show me how smart you are.

Let's talk more about Jenna Bush, Hager, and wink wink.

Tell me more how I'am a bad person teaching Special Ed kids, because I call you names. Ouch, (that's a vein popping).

Give up you fool, tou're a joke.

Bush reminds me of those illiterate Communist Party thugs who used to lead the Soviet Union and who would murder the Russian language. Brezhnev, Chernenko, Bush. On Lenin's tomb, Bush would have been at the very end of the row.