Bush is a Genius

agree with your article about Bush being so dumb. I was amazed at the media that did not comment on his inability to speak or think at his last press conference. He acted like a man whose brain cells had been damaged by too much alcohol or drugs and I do think that is what is wrong with his brain. It is unreal to see smart people that will simiply agree with him because they are Repugs and he is a Repugs. It just goes and shows you how sick they are as well. Don't they even think this is their country and their kids and grandkids are going to have to grow up in in this mess if he gets in another 4 years. You did a great job standing up to O'Reilly the man who thinks he knows everything and knows nothing. Patsy Robertson

Dear Rob,

I catch your drift but I think that title belongs to Cheney. The fanaticism and sly manipulative skills you describe fit his persona perfectly. This VP has greatly expanded the role of his office and evoked some sharp criticism. He is in a position to do whatever he chooses and has done. It would be very hard sell to attach genius to that empty stare, freshman clumsiness and third grade reading/skills of the junior Bush. A certain weasily charm emerges occasionally; but genius? I don't think so. It's my belief that very little of the world reaches the sterile fields of Bush's mind. Perhaps this can be attributed to his parents thyroid disease (both Barbara and George Sr.) or his long history of drug and alcohol abuse or other unknown factors.

As the elder son of a family that for generations has no moral compass and has profited dishonestly from insider manipulation and the pain of others, his attraction to the simplistic moral judgments of Evangelical Christianity seem easily explained as do some of the more unsavory aspects of his personality. I think the message of unconditional love and the social manipulation that is so much a part of EC is another important factor in his attraction to this form of virulent Christianity.

My hunch, as a woman, mother and now a grandmother, is that he still longs for his parents response, love, attention recognition in an infantile way. His "Christian" base give him that love as well as the idea of a "higher father".

I certainly agree that he should be held accountable, no matter how limited or warped his understanding, but so should those who manipulate him. Sincerely, Carol Davidek-Waller Kirkland WA

He is to be feared. Underestimating his cunning is a mistake. One only has to look at Florida 2000 to be reminded...

Amanda Lang

Augusta, GA

Dear Rob,

I just wanted to write to express my agreement with your article's argument. While I, as much if not more than anyone else, love to make fun of Bush as an absolute moron, I've always believed that he must be adept at something-- how else would he be able to get so many people to believe he's on their side?

There's a particularly telling anecdote that I believe I originally read in "The Bush Dyslexicon" that provides excellent insight into Bush's gift. During his fraternity initiation at Yale, one of the questions asked was for him to name all of the other pledges. Of course, no one ever got this right... that was the idea. Mr. "Idiot" Dubya, though, quickly rattled off the names of every pledge, none of whom he had known longer than five minutes. Now, I know I would not have been able to do this; does this make Dubya more intelligent than me? (At least I can form sentences cohere....) I think a good way to refer to Dubya is as a "schmoozer savant," because it perfectly captures Bush's capabilities: he may implode when doing math, reading a book, writing a letter, or even thinking through a logical argument, but he has an amazing gift for wining and dining. (I've seen reports of "savants" who can play forty instruments and have repertoire of 40,000 pieces of music, but who can't add two and two together or organize their silverware drawer.)

I think this story explains Bush's entire presidency very well: while he is proudly illiterate, profoundly uneducated, and mentally stagnant, he is able to remember every minutae of personal detail that might come in handy when it comes time to call in a favor. I'm no psychologist, but this also sounds like good evidence for his being a sociopath: his cynical willingness to manipulate others for his own gain.

Andrew Christian