President Obama Says "Twitters"

Image from source, CBS News

Today, President Barack Obama met with the Russian president, and he misspoke.  He was talking about a tour of a social networking company, and he said "headquarter of Twitters," when he clearly meant "headquarters of Twitter." [This quote is more accurate than how it related in the excerpt below] But that won't matter when all is said and done. This comment will be endlessly repeated by conservatives, along with his other so-called "gaffes."  Remember when the primary campaigning was winding down, and Obama said "57 states" when he meant 57 events?  They're still using that one.

They're trying to retaliate for all the ribbing we liberals gave President George W. Bush. Which we did. A lot. But once again, there is a false equivalency. Where you can clearly see the source of Obama's goof, Bush's mentions of "the Google" and "the internets" showed less a slip of the tongue than an unfamiliarity with the subject.  And a hell of a lot of precedent.  Oh well, I'll just prepare myself for a hard eye-roll every time I hear or see a mention of "Twitters."

[Excerpt]

Obama Jokes: Twitter Could Replace "Red Phone" Calls to Russia

At a joint press conference today with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, President Obama joked about how one popular technology might help the two countries move past traditional Cold War-style diplomacy.



The technology in question was Twitter - or as Mr. Obama put it, signaling he might be less familiar with the technology than he let on, "Twitters." During his speech, Mr. Obama made reference to the fact that Medvedev "visited the headquarters of Twitters where he opened his own account. . ."

Read more at: CBS News

George W. Bush: "Mission Impossible"

Image from source, Think Progress

Oh. My. God. We thought we were done with Bushisms, right? I mean, now that he's a private citizen, and not in jail or anything, I thought he'd keep his mouth shut. Well, we're not so lucky. And he's just as goofy as you remember.

[Excerpt]

Bush: I regret standing in front of the ‘Mission Impossible’ banner.

“I am confident that I made decisions based on principle, that I made calls as best I could, and I did not sell my soul,” Bush told an audience of about 1,000 men and women at the $400-a-seat steak luncheon. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Quote of the Day: One Last Bushism

"We're still being challenged in Iraq and the reason why is a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the cause of freedom." --North Carolina; April 5, 2004

From the (presumably) last "George W. Bushisms" daily calendar, Jacob Weisberg; Andrew McMeel Publishing

Bushism of the Day

Image from PissedOnPolitics

I have a Bushisms daily calendar on my desk, with a helpful little George W. Bush countdown, showing how many days are left of his reign of error. When I peel off the page tomorrow, it will read 90 days! While that spells good news for America, it gives us precious little time to explore the depths of Bush's ineptitude.

Here's one from yesterday, brought to my attention by my friend and contributor, Stupid Monkey Planet. Read it twice, it's sometimes very difficult to count the number of errors. . .

"This thaw—took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw."—Alexandria, La., Oct. 20, 2008

Did you get that? Unthaw? Does that mean refreeze? Sheesh. We're not going to miss Bush for much, but the laughs may not come as fast and furious as they do now, after January 20, 2009.

Source: Slate

New Barack Obama Ad: A Stronger Economy

Leave aside the policy issues in this ad (ie., the important stuff), and just focus for a bit on the more superficial. After all, that's what Republicans are doing with Sarah Palin. It's what they did with George W. Bush. For whatever reason, they like these people, and their personal foibles, cluttered pasts, and lack of gravitas don't matter a whit. The want to have a beer with W. (ironically an alcoholic), and to skin a moose or watch a hockey match with Palin.

So, let's take a look at what's on the surface here. We have a plain-spoken, articulate man, speaking directly to us. In identifiable English. It's even in complete, properly structured sentences. Bush and Palin are incapable of that, though each in their own ways. Obama seems calm, smart, upright, decent. . . Would it be so bad to vote for a person with these reasons at least #2 or #3 in your mind when you cast that vote?

I for one am tired of being embarrassed when our President visits a foreign country. I'm tired of the crazy dances, the inappropriate smirks, the groping of foreign leaders. I'm tired of the Bushisms. Most of all, I'm tired of having a President that speaks in colloquial Tex-English no matter where he is, or what he's saying: Nuttin. Iddn't. Wuddn't. Sick of it!

McCain may not have that problem, though he does wander off into Grandpa Simpson "onion belt" stories. And there's that creepy laugh of his, along with smirking. And Palin? Her heavily accented, flinty voice saying phrases like, "I’ll try to find ya some and I’ll bring 'em to ya." Oh ya, oofta, oofta! It would be like hearing St. Olaf stories for four or eight years!

So, please America. Vote for the guy who will at least sound nice, look presentable, know when to put his serious face on, and know when it is appropriate to have a little more levity. Please?

Bushisms: Make the Pie Higher!

I get a lot of emails from "concerned" friends and family, seeking to expose the Muslim-ness of Barack Obama, or what stupid thing Hillary Clinton said or did. You probably get 'em too. With the help of Snopes.com, I've debunked a lot of those (to the consternation of the sender), even here on the blog.

So imagine my delight with finding an "urban legend" type email to be true! Nearly 100% verifiably true--far closer, at least than any of the other ones I've seen. It's an moldy oldie, but it's also a goody. Remember, this was written in 2002, when George W. Bush's public persona was far newer--and a great deal more popular. Someone got the idea to assemble a batch of Bushisms into a poem, each line being an actual utterance--with only slight alteration--from The Decider his self [sic, intentionally]. Check it out (click to enlarge).




Source: Snopes.com

Bushisms - Laugh til You Cry (Or Vice Versa)

There is no question, George W. Bush has been an absolute dream for comedians. Often times, as Jon Stewart has said, he does the comedian's work for them, and what he says cannot even be made funnier when taken out of context. For we citizens, however, things are a little different.

It's wonderful to have folks like Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher and David Letterman to help us find the funny when we've become fed up with Bush and his administration. And this video compilation (with clips often taken from comedy shows) is most certainly funny. But the sad thing is, you could make a montage that goes well beyond YouTube's limitations. Bush has said and done enough stupid and embarrassing things to over-fill a Ken Burns documentary.

The scary thing is, 28% or so of the American electorate finds this man charming. They think his gaffes and general idiocy make him "one of us." I hope we can decide as a nation that a President shouldn't be one of us. I want a President that is smarter and more educated than I am. I want a President who doesn't skip over words in a book that he doesn't understand--he looks them up. Or better yet, doesn't find any that he doesn't understand! I want a President who is the cream of the crop. . .one of our best and brightest.

To me, John "the Economy is not my thing" McCain doesn't fit the bill. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton--whatever you think of them personally--do. Just sit back and watch what "one of us" looks like as President:



And yes, I realize the video wanders off at the end, into divergent territory, but I'm prone to digressions, so I'll not criticize too harshly!

Great Moments in Presidential Speeches

If you watch The Late Show With David Leterman, you've seen these short little segments one at a time. Well, some enterprising video editor compiled a bunch of them together. You have to laugh. Otherwise you'd cry all day. . .