Bye-bye, Bushisms
Sunday, January 11th, 2009After eight long years, it’s time to say goodbye to President Bush and ponder the legacy he leaves us. Forget the two wars, a trillion-dollar debt, an economy in shambles, Katrina, and an international image that’s a PR nightmare. Number 43 leaves behind a cavalcade of so-called Bushisms that ought to keep us laughing through our tears.
Let’s start with his (mis)pronunciation of the word nuclear, which he invariably mispronounced as nucular.
Then there’s his mangled pronoun usage: “You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”
Yup, he said it, way back in 2001 during a speech in Tennessee.
Six years later, his grammar was still failing when he spoke about No Child Left Behind: “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.”
Whether you agree or not with Bush’s immigration policy, you’ve got to love this comment he made in 2005: “Those who enter the country illegally, violate the law.” Thanks for making that clear, Mr. President.
Last June, he graced us with this classic example of a misplaced modifer: “I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office.”
Really? In the Oval Office? If those North Koreans had left the child and abducted Bush instead, they might have save the rest of us a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, the English language is more resilient than the US economy or surely after eight years of Bush’s leadership we would be suffering a linguistic recession as severe as the current economic crisis.
For more on Bushisms, check out these sites: