What is Bushism?

And so, General, I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq."—meeting with Army Gen. Ray Odierno, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2008

A Bushism is any of a number of peculiar words, phrases, pronunciations, malapropisms, semantic or linguistic errors and gaffes that have occurred in the public speaking of United States President George W. Bush and, before that, of his father George H. W. Bush. The term (a neologism) has become part of popular folklore, and is the basis of a number of websites and published books. It is often used to caricature the two presidents. Common characteristics include malapropisms, the creation of neologisms, and spoonerisms.

Some columnists, including the late Molly Ivins, co-author of a book of Bushisms, have suggested that Bush may have difficulty speaking "Washington English," and that he may be trying to cover his dialect by over-emphasizing words. Some have hypothesized that Bush is not familiar with some of the words that he feels he must use as president.

Bush's misuse of the English language has spawned dozens of books that document the phenomenon. The majority of these books are written by Slate magazine editor Jacob Weisberg. The first Bushism book, simply titled Bushisms, was released in 1992. The Bushism books have been received well around the world, with editions released in Germany, France, and Italy landing on best seller lists. He has also inspired a poem composed entirely of Bushisms entitled Make the Pie Higher, compiled by a high-school English teacher, Dirk Schulze under the psuedonym of "Richard Thompson", as an example of a found poem for his students.



"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." -George W. Bush
Source: Business Week Online, "A Gentleman's "C" for W," Richard S. Dunham, July 30, 2001

Note: In choosing this video, there is no disrespect to foreign governments! It is just so sad; the American’s are suffering under such leadership.