2008 Woodie Awards
Awesome speech, Pope
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Opinion
George W. Bush said it himself, "I admit it, I am not one of the great linguists." He wasn't kidding.
Pope Benedict XVI visited the White House on Wednesday to meet with the president and speak to 13,500 people in attendance. After the Pope delivered his speech, the always-quick-on-his-feet Bush told the leader of more than one billion Catholics, "Thank you, your Holiness; awesome speech."
Wow.
Who says "awesome" to the Pope? A simple adjective like "moving" or even "nice" would have sufficed, but "awesome?" The WC does not expect all politicians to be perfect, but at the same time, we expect our president to give a more dignified response rather than something comparable to what Jeff Spicoli would give.
It's not the first time - and probably not the last - Bush has displayed his juvenile diction of the English language, but the WC wonders where this Bushism ranks on the all-time list.
We compiled an unranked list of our 10 favorite Bush quotes. However, we want to hear what readers believe are the dumbest quotes of his political career. To vote for the stupidest Bush quotes, go to www.westerncourier.com. Here is our list:
•"Tribal sovereignty means that-it's sovereignty, I mean, you're a-you're a-you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity."
•"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."
•"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
•"I know how hard it is to put food on your family."
•"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here."
•"If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow."
•"I'm the master of low expectations."
•"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically."
•"See, we love - we love freedom. That's what they didn't understand. They hate things; we love things. They act out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice out of love."
•"If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it."
The president doesn't have to be the best speaker in the world, but the rudimentary words Bush chooses are a bad reflection on the U.S. The president should be held to higher grammar standards than a fifth grader.
After another example of incompetence, the WC is not sure Bush can honestly answer "yes" to Jeff Foxworthy's question, "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?"
Pope Benedict XVI visited the White House on Wednesday to meet with the president and speak to 13,500 people in attendance. After the Pope delivered his speech, the always-quick-on-his-feet Bush told the leader of more than one billion Catholics, "Thank you, your Holiness; awesome speech."
Wow.
Who says "awesome" to the Pope? A simple adjective like "moving" or even "nice" would have sufficed, but "awesome?" The WC does not expect all politicians to be perfect, but at the same time, we expect our president to give a more dignified response rather than something comparable to what Jeff Spicoli would give.
It's not the first time - and probably not the last - Bush has displayed his juvenile diction of the English language, but the WC wonders where this Bushism ranks on the all-time list.
We compiled an unranked list of our 10 favorite Bush quotes. However, we want to hear what readers believe are the dumbest quotes of his political career. To vote for the stupidest Bush quotes, go to www.westerncourier.com. Here is our list:
•"Tribal sovereignty means that-it's sovereignty, I mean, you're a-you're a-you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity."
•"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."
•"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
•"I know how hard it is to put food on your family."
•"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here."
•"If the terriers and bariffs are torn down, this economy will grow."
•"I'm the master of low expectations."
•"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically."
•"See, we love - we love freedom. That's what they didn't understand. They hate things; we love things. They act out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice out of love."
•"If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it."
The president doesn't have to be the best speaker in the world, but the rudimentary words Bush chooses are a bad reflection on the U.S. The president should be held to higher grammar standards than a fifth grader.
After another example of incompetence, the WC is not sure Bush can honestly answer "yes" to Jeff Foxworthy's question, "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?"
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 6
give it up
posted 4/18/08 @ 9:07 AM CST
1: expressive of awe 2 a: inspiring awe b: terrific, extraordinary
-- awe·some·ly adverb
-- awe·some·ness noun
--Webster's
What is wrong with this? Confusing pop culture with the English language? Is this even news? No wonder no one give the WC any real respect. (Continued…)
Beth
posted 4/18/08 @ 10:38 AM CST
How about this one?
"I mentioned early on that I recognize there are hurdles, and we're going to achieve those hurdles."
jaketheleprechaun
posted 4/21/08 @ 1:06 PM CST
Okay, so apparently nobody knows what an editorial is.
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