Bush Stupidity Linked To Dementia?

[Metrion Cascade]

To me there is a clear implication that Bush is sick, therefor he makes decisions that I think are bad/don't agree with. With chiking on a pretzel and lack of glibness listed as key symptons. How about, he choked on something, which happens every day to millions, and he isn't so glib when not well prepared for the occasion?
And the pressure he is under now, with the aggregate effect of insufficient/interupted sleap since day one of the job?
Worry and stress wear people out, and then they make mistakes.
What symptoms has he exhibited that are NOT explainable to fatigue. and worry? (Dissagreeing with you isn't a symptom of anything but disagreeing with you, whatever anyone wants to make it.)
Whether the article is symathetic, or acusatory is besides the point.
His decision making is being used to question his health, which is affecting his ability to make decisions.
That's the way I read the article.
I can't tell if it is from a disenchanted faithful, or perpetual opposite, my point, which seems to have gone over your head,(Metrion) is that is doesn't MATTER which end of the spectrum it came from, as they are both using the same tactic. They are BOTH wrong for using it, whichever side this mudball came from.

It didn't go over my head. I agree with it. But I don't agree that the article says "Bush's policies are wrong, therefore he's ill." It doesn't even say that Bush is wrong on any issue. That you think it implies that is less a function of the article's content than of your own perception. Nobody used that tactic. Not in the article, and not here.

Familiar with the term "strawman fallacy?"

[Plekhanov]

What symptoms has he exhibited that are NOT explainable to fatigue. and worry?

Fatigue hasn’t he taken more days off than any US President in History?

As for worrying he is famous for making decisions based upon “his instincts” and then refusing to reconsider.
If you are suggesting that he is worried about the US troops getting shot at on his behalf in Iraq his “bring it on” comment would suggest otherwise.

[SecondStorm]

Isn't Bush more than a little bit too young for Alzheimers?

I've heard of it occuring in people in their 50's....

I know it's medically possible but from what I understand those cases are exceedingly rare. And if this article can be trusted, it's supposedly something that's been there for a while.

Its not exceedingly rare. But less than 10% of all patients are under 65.

I myself have only cared for a handful of patients with Alzheimers under 65.
All of those were above 50.

But research are showing that people are becoming younger and younger upon onset of the disease.

[EmperorChrostas the Cruel]

From artilcel via ham handed method.
"Not only are his mental and verbal blunders in stark contrast to his intelligent and well-spoken predecessor, but so is the state of the nation under his presidency: unprecedented federal deficits, stark spikes in unemployment, unregulated corporate avarice, a budget-crunched education system, expensive (and increasingly unpopular) military engagements overseas, and a generally bleak--some would say apocalyptic--assessment regarding "the direction" the country is moving in with him allegedly at the helm.




Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill, both former members of the current Bush Administration, have written books in which Bush is depicted as having poor or decreased judgment, yet another symptom of Alzheimer's. While Clarke presents the president as oddly obsessed with Iraq to the point of ignoring al Qaida, O'Neill paints the picture of a poker-faced, basically unintelligent puppet of the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and other forces--in short, someone for whom judgments are made by others. The precariousness of Bush's own judgments, though, are best represented by Bush himself, who, on "Meet the Press" (February 8, 2004), stated: "In my judgment, when the United States says there will be serious consequences, and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences.""



He is being accused of making poor decisions, and having symptoms of Alzheimers in the same article. If that isn't an impication, I don't know what is. As to effects of fatigue, if you aren't glib to start, you look even less so when tired. THAT'S what i'm fucking saying. Clinton and Reagan had the gift of the gab, and charisma to boot. When you compair a poor public speaker to these giants in their field, of course you come off poorly. When you are tired, you can look like a bufoon, stumbling for words.
Your performance starts off at your BEST, and THEN degrades. Bush at his best couldn't hold a candle to Reagan reading cue cards, and so out of it he didn't notice reading the same one TWICE, yet his devivery was impecable.
I'd like to see some numbers about the amount of "days off," of world leaders, past and present tale, Bush included.
The ONLY thing I am claiming here, is that he sounds like an illiterate and fumbles his words when very tired, or taken out of his game and struggling.

This board is so full of bright articulate people you seem to think the world is all full of people just as glib, and quick of tongue. Well it ain't, and you are not the yardstick of the world. The fact you are on line, and using the internet makes you a small minority of the world right there.
The large nunber of college educated, and or bi/gay is also not in proportion to the world in general either.
This forum, and the people on it are NOT representative of the world at large. You are economicly and education elites.
Like it or not, Bush is closer to the average person in education and speaking ability than most of us here are.
Hell a large part of the world is fucking illiterate for crying out loud.

[Metrion Cascade]

From artilcel via ham handed method.
"Not only are his mental and verbal blunders in stark contrast to his intelligent and well-spoken predecessor, but so is the state of the nation under his presidency: unprecedented federal deficits, stark spikes in unemployment, unregulated corporate avarice, a budget-crunched education system, expensive (and increasingly unpopular) military engagements overseas, and a generally bleak--some would say apocalyptic--assessment regarding "the direction" the country is moving in with him allegedly at the helm.




Richard Clarke and Paul O'Neill, both former members of the current Bush Administration, have written books in which Bush is depicted as having poor or decreased judgment, yet another symptom of Alzheimer's. While Clarke presents the president as oddly obsessed with Iraq to the point of ignoring al Qaida, O'Neill paints the picture of a poker-faced, basically unintelligent puppet of the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and other forces--in short, someone for whom judgments are made by others. The precariousness of Bush's own judgments, though, are best represented by Bush himself, who, on "Meet the Press" (February 8, 2004), stated: "In my judgment, when the United States says there will be serious consequences, and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences.""



He is being accused of making poor decisions, and having symptoms of Alzheimers in the same article. If that isn't an impication, I don't know what is. As to effects of fatigue, if you aren't glib to start, you look even less so when tired. THAT'S what i'm fucking saying. Clinton and Reagan had the gift of the gab, and charisma to boot. When you compair a poor public speaker to these giants in their field, of course you come off poorly. When you are tired, you can look like a bufoon, stumbling for words.
Your performance starts off at your BEST, and THEN degrades. Bush at his best couldn't hold a candle to Reagan reading cue cards, and so out of it he didn't notice reading the same one TWICE, yet his devivery was impecable.
I'd like to see some numbers about the amount of "days off," of world leaders, past and present tale, Bush included.
The ONLY thing I am claiming here, is that he sounds like an illiterate and fumbles his words when very tired, or taken out of his game and struggling.

This board is so full of bright articulate people you seem to think the world is all full of people just as glib, and quick of tongue. Well it ain't, and you are not the yardstick of the world. The fact you are on line, and using the internet makes you a small minority of the world right there.
The large nunber of college educated, and or bi/gay is also not in proportion to the world in general either.
This forum, and the people on it are NOT representative of the world at large. You are economicly and education elites.
Like it or not, Bush is closer to the average person in education and speaking ability than most of us here are.
Hell a large part of the world is fucking illiterate for crying out loud.

Conceded. The article does start with his policies and move from that to attacking his mental capacity.

[Plekhanov]

I'd like to see some numbers about the amount of "days off," of world leaders, past and present tale, Bush included.

I’m not aware of a quick and easy reference guide to world leaders working hours but Bush’s excessive leisure time has long been a target of criticism.

A quick search revealed

This August 2001 sory in the Guardian - American anger at Bush's breaks

This "Ask Yahoo" article from Oct 2003 has some comparison of Bush with previous presidents It states that

Bush has taken 250 days off as of August 2003. That's 27% of his presidency spent on vacation.

This compares to 335 days for Reagan and 152 days for Clinton over 8 years. 79 Days off for Carter during his single term. He seems a chip off the old block though as his dad

took all or part of 543 vacation days at Camp David and in Kennebunkport.

It not as if he had nothing better to do with his time either as this aritcle from Slate points out

The revelation came this morning, when CIA Director George Tenet was on the stand. Timothy Roemer, a former Democratic congressman, asked him when he first found out about the report from the FBI's Minnesota field office that Zacarias Moussaoui, an Islamic jihadist, had been taking lessons on how to fly a 747. Tenet replied that he was briefed about the case on Aug. 23 or 24, 2001.
Roemer then asked Tenet if he mentioned Moussaoui to President Bush at one of their frequent morning briefings. Tenet replied, "I was not in briefings at this time." Bush, he noted, "was on vacation." He added that he didn't see the president at all in August 2001. During the entire month, Bush was at his ranch in Texas. "You never talked with him?" Roemer asked. "No," Tenet replied. By the way, for much of August, Tenet too was, as he put it, "on leave."

This April 2004 article from the Washington Post states that

Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency.

Even without concrete figures for other world leaders I think you’ll have to admit 40% is a hell of a lot of time off especially for the self proclaimed “War President”.

[Metrion Cascade]

And another thing that sickens me about Bush. When Clinton was in office, if he or some higher-up in his administration were on the tube I'd stop and see what they were talking about. Maybe it had to do with the economy, or gay rights, or affirmative action. Whether I agreed or not, I would be interested in hearing what the President and his staff had to say. Even the idiots in those days were fun to listen to.

These days, when I turn on the TV and see the President or someone in his cabinet, I immediately change the channel. Because I know they won't have anything to say that interests me. It'll be about the war, or some shit initiative that's not doing anything except getting kicked around as a political football. I know that whatever he's doing, it's not something that I care about or find interesting. Even on issues that do affect me, all he does is spin his wheels. And if he does manage to get somewhere it'll be for the worse.

It's like not even having a President. America's just kind of "there." Not accomplishing anything or improving itself overall. And what is going right never has anything to do with him or his administration. Honestly it's depressing. Like hot weather, blue skies, or a day without my iPod. It just puts me in a funk. It's like he, and by extension my country (in the political sense), are problems I have to put up with rather than something positive. I guess the most succinct statement of it is that he's turning the country into such an embarrassment that I don't even want to see us or him on TV anymore.

Clinton was wrong about some things, but he did act like the President of the United States of America. Bush is just...Dubya. He's too small a man and too small an intellect to be any elected official at all, much less the head of a country whose positive accomplishments were all made in the despite of bastards like him. It's schizophrenic to see someone so backwards running a country I like to think of as progressive.

Or maybe I'm wrong about that. I know America's backwards in some ways, but maybe it's worse than I realize. I do know that I'm starting to wonder if there's another country where things might be better.

[Plekhanov]

There was a better article on the reasons for Bush's apparent lack of intellect posted on here not to long ago

How Bush chose stupidity.

Which suggests a more likely reason for his inability to speak a recognised language.

In Bush's case, the symptoms point to a specific malady - some kind of linguistic deficit akin to dyslexia - that does not indicate a lack of mental capacity per se.

it also provides a equally damning but much more supportable (and less offensive) explanation as to why a supremely privilege kid with some natural abilities developed into such an ignorant fucktard.

[RedImperator]

Bush's personality can be easily explained through a combination of arrogance, willful ignorance, and dyslexia.

[Plekhanov]

These days, when I turn on the TV and see the President or someone in his cabinet, I immediately change the channel.

I’ve found it necessary to do the same if I listen to him for any length of time I just became consumed with impotent anger and I’m in a really bad mood for the rest of the day. I’m sure I must have come pretty close to having a stroke or something during the recent press conferences he did on his own, with Sharon and then with Blair