>>>30. "They misunderestimated me." --Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000
>
>I agree that the guy is stupid. I think there is something else at work, though. He doesn't try to hide it. He seems to wander into malapropisms and half informed comments with such frequency that it becomes a tactic to shield him from accountability. In Chicago we have a mayor (and his father before him) who exhibits a similar penchant for tossing out nonsense, non sequiters, and mispronunciations. Over time it dawned on me that this is a way to keep the dialogue totally unfocussed. In Bush's case, it is even more serious and devious because this fake good old boy was chosen by his influential backers exactly for this personna -- a way to deflect people's understanding of their imperial designs.

Oh yes, he is the distraction. Despite the ability of the system to get a ham sandwich elected if needed, he is performing much better than that - he's the ultimate ("I can't believe they put such a guy to be a president TWICE and got away with it!") cause for disbelief.

Meanwhile, the magician's other hand is picking our pockets.