[excon]

Hello:

Even you loyal Bushies had to be embarrassed a little bit yesterday. When introducing the beligerents attending his peace conference, our dufus in chief absolutely RUINED the names of Ehud Olmert, and Macmood Abbas. And, I don't mean a little...

I think if he cared, he could have practiced. I mean he really could have! These are peoples NAMES... Important people. If it would have been me, I'd have been insulted that he couldn't be bothered to learn my name. But, that's me.

Do you think they were? Wouldn't you be? Do you even care that he did that?

excon

[RubyPitbull]

Yes, I care. I don't like it when someone misspells my first name, much less mispronounces it! ;) hehe (for anyone reading it, this is an inside joke betw me and excon).

[tomder55]

I on the other hand am used to people mispronouncing my name. It is a 10 letter name of Italian origin and very few people get it right the first time.

[RubyPitbull]

Getting back to Bush, I think if he wants to be effective with foreign heads of state, taking the time to learn the correct pronunciation is the least he could do. I believe, although we know it isn't intentional, it would be interpreted by those people that he doesn't think they are important enough to the process.

[tomder55]

Quick... pronounce the name Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov President of Turkmenistan!

[RubyPitbull]

Okay. I did that. Now what? Are you going to tell me I pronounced it wrong? LOL.

When someone is in Bush's position he already knows ahead of time he is going to a peace conference and who will be attending. If he is pressed for time, he could always practice the names while he is shaving or sitting on the toilet. By the way, I would say that about anyone who is the President. Although I know that excon likes to find the soft spot and dig in heartily when it comes to Bush, I think it is any Commander-in-Chief's job to ensure they make themselves look as sharp as possible and at the top of his game in the eyes of the rest of the world. This was a very bad way to start the talks.

[excon]

quick ..... pronounce the name Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov President of Turkmenistan !!

Hello again tom:

So, you're making excuses for the dufus, huh? I could have figured.

The point IS, if I was the Head of State, instead of an exconvict on the internet, I would have taken the TIME necessary and I would HAVE the experts around me, to make SURE that the name was spoken correctly in public. But again, that's just me.

Frankly, I'm appalled. Even when I'm USED to it, I'm appalled!

excon

[tomder55]

And yet in spite of President Bush screwing up the names ;the two leaders came to an agreement to continue discussions and "they are ready for hard bargaining toward an independent Palestinian state ". Perhaps the name thing is not a big deal to anyone except those afflicted with BDS.

[excon]

"they are ready for hard bargaining toward an independent Palestinian state ". Perhaps the name thing is not a big deal to anyone except those afflicted with BDS.

Hello again, tom:

If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you...

You becha I've got BDS. If it's got to do with alerting the world about the mistakes of the dufus in chief, that's me.

What is it? Bush Disgust Syndrome??

excon

[RubyPitbull]

LOL Tom! Of course they are going to agree to "continue discussions"! LOL what does that and "hard bargaining" REALLY mean to them anyway? "Perhaps the name thing" is a big deal to them and they are planning on sticking it to us and each other good and hard when the opportunity arises during the "hard bargaining" process. LOL.

P.S. I don't know what BDS stands for. Sorry.

[speechlesstx]

ex,

Don't misunderestimate his ability to mangle a word - no matter the circumstance. Yeah it would have annoyed me, too - just like the mass marketers that think I'm either Steye or Stevben. Heck, the State of New Mexico issued our company a "Certifcate of Fitness" as our company's fire alarm license. And my goodness, have you ever watched a TV program with the closed captioning on?

Of course Bush should have been able to pronounce their names, but really, if it hasn't caused a stir with those guys why are you so upset?

Steve

P.S. BDS=Bush Derangement Syndrome

[tomder55]

Here is the first column that BDS was ever mentioned .Credit Charles Krauthammer(a former doctor /now political pundit) with coining the term. The Delusional Dean (washingtonpost.com)

Bush Derangement Syndrome: the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush.

Until now, Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS) had generally struck people with previously compromised intellectual immune systems. Hence its prevalence in Hollywood. Barbra Streisand, for example, wrote her famous September 2002 memo to Gephardt warning that the president was dragging us toward war to satisfy, among the usual corporate malefactors who "clearly have much to gain if we go to war against Iraq," the logging industry -- timber being a major industry in a country that is two-thirds desert.

It is true that BDS has struck some pretty smart guys -- Bill Moyers ranting about a "right-wing wrecking crew" engaged in "a deliberate, intentional destruction of the United States way of governing" and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, whose recent book attacks the president so virulently that Krugman's British publisher saw fit to adorn the cover with images of Vice President Cheney in a Hitler-like mustache and Bush stitched up like Frankenstein. Nonetheless, some observers took that to be satire; others wrote off Moyers and Krugman as simple aberrations, the victims of too many years of neurologically hazardous punditry.

That's what has researchers so alarmed about Dean. He had none of the usual risk factors: Dean has never opined for a living and has no detectable sense of humor. Even worse is the fact that he is now exhibiting symptoms of a related illness, Murdoch Derangement Syndrome (MDS), in which otherwise normal people believe that their minds are being controlled by a single, very clever Australian.

The sad news is that there is no cure. But there is hope. There are many fine researchers seeking that cure. Your donation to the BDS Foundation, no matter how small, can help.

[excon]

why are you so upset?

Hello Steve:

Because when he speaks to the world, he represents ME. I DON'T talk like that, and I DIDN’T go to Harvard.

It ISN'T policy, Steve. It's speech. I hated Ronny RayGun's policies - but he made me proud when he spoke.

excon

[RubyPitbull]

Of course Bush should have been able to pronounce their names, but really, if it hasn't caused a stir with those guys why are you so upset?

P.S. BDS=Bush Derangement Syndrome

I had to go change my tightie whities just now because I PMSL. That BDS definition is hilarious!

Hey Steve, how do you know it didn't cause a stir with those guys? We all know that Excon likes to poke the bear and he will do anything he can to rile you guys up. But, we really don't have any idea what those guys are thinking or feeling. They aren't stoopid (sp on purpose) enough to fly off the handle at a peace conference. Now, maybe if it was Osama, that might be a different story. He is rather vocal even when he isn't insulted straight to his face. Let's see how those "hard bargaining" discussions go, shall we? Hmmm? Maybe it has to do with the fact that Israel and the U.S. are such strong allies that they are being extremely careful not to display any signs of emotions or distress. I would also keep everything close to the vest if I knew someone I was dealing with was in bed with my enemy. Maybe they do view his mangling of their names as an outright slap in the face. Who knows what lurks in the hearts & minds of (those) men? We poor slobs on the other side of the world sure don't.

[excon]

Hello again:

BDS = "Originally coined by columnist Charles Krauthammer as - the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush

Symptoms of Bush Derangement Syndrome include:
1. Believing that Bush caused Hurricane Katrina.
2. Believing that Bush was behind 9-11.
3. Calling Bush stupid despite the fact that he has degrees from Harvard and Yale and is a trained fighter pilot."

For a long time now, you guys have been telling me how smart he is. I certainly know I don't have degrees from those places. So, I've watched very closely, and I've been waiting for the signs of his intelligence to make themselves apparent. Smart people can't really HIDE their intelligence. Wouldn't you think, that if he's really smart, there would have been an inkling of it showing by now?? All I'm looking for is an inkling, here - not the Gettysburg address. An inkling would be good.

You say behind the scenes, he's really running the show. I see NO evidence of that, at all. In fact, I think he's BEING run. I KNOW Cheney is smart. I KNOW Rove is smart.

excon

[speechlesstx]

Hello Steve:

Because when he speaks to the world, he represents ME. I DON'T talk like that, and I DIDN’T go to Harvard.

It ISN'T policy, Steve. It's speech. I hated Ronny RayGun's policies - but he made me proud when he spoke.

Ex, I actually agree with you, but at this point in his administration it's beating a dead horse. At least he hasn't given an "I don’t feel no ways tarrrred" speech, he's just making good on his commitment when he said, "I hope you leave here and walk out and say, 'What did he say?'"

Steve

[speechlesstx]

I had to go change my tightie whities just now because I PMSL. That BDS definition is hilarious!

Hey Steve, how do you know it didn't cause a stir with those guys? We all know that Excon likes to poke the bear and he will do anything he can to rile you guys up. But, we really don't have any idea what those guys are thinking or feeling. They aren't stoopid (sp on purpose) enough to fly off the handle at a peace conference. Now, maybe if it was Osama, that might be a different story. He is rather vocal even when he isn't insulted straight to his face. Let's see how those "hard bargaining" discussions go, shall we? Hmmm? Maybe it has to do with the fact that Israel and the U.S. are such strong allies that they are being extremely careful not to display any signs of emotions or distress. I would keep everything close to the vest if I knew someone I was dealing with was in bed with my enemy. Maybe they do view his mangling of their names as an outright slap in the face. Who knows what lurks in the hearts & minds of (those) men? We poor slobs on the other side of the world sure don't.

Ok, so I don't know, Ruby - but apparently the leaders "smiled as he regained his footing and plowed on through the text of the long-sought joint agreement." I know ex likes to "poke the bear" but we know he's really just a big ol' teddy bear :D

[RubyPitbull]

Steve, LOL. What else could they do? They are, after all, "diplomats". LOL. Maybe they smiled afterward thinking to themselves "AH, so it is true what excon has been saying about his President!" ;)

excon, I think I have a serious bladder control issue. I had to go change my TWs again after that last post of yours.

[tomder55]

And it goes on and on...

Bush is stupid Dan Quayle is stupid .Reagan was stupid. Ford is stupid. Nixon wasn't as smart as Kennedy .Ike wasn't as smart as Stevenson. Lincoln was an ape. Republicans have always been called stupid. I used to even buy that. Me ;I don't think you become a Governor let alone a President if you are stupid. They used to say Reagan was controlled by his staff. Now his personal papers are being published and we find out that he was a very insightful man. The funny thing is no one who has observed Bush from the inside claims he is stupid and not in control . That includes Bob Woodward who has written some pretty critical stuff about Bush ;but had unprecedented access to the White House as he researched his books.

[ETWolverine]

Excon,

Most people can't even pronounce "Channukah" correctly. Do you really expect people to pronounce Middle Eastern names correctly? You now know my last name, since you visited here a few weeks ago. Think you would be able to pronounce it correctly if you had to READ it? Most people screw up my name badly the first time... and that's people who want to sell me something, and whom it makes sense would try to do it correctly.

I am guessing that Olmert doesn't take it personally. Jewish names are always difficult to pronounce/spell. Ditto for Arabic names, but I don't know whether Abbas will take it personally or not. Frankly, the guy has way to many other things on his mind that to worry about how Bush pronounces his name. The very fact that the President is recognizing his government at all, after the way Bush treated Arafat, and after the way Hammas has acted over the past year, is a releif to Abbas. He could proably give a $h!t about how Bush says his name.

The rest of the players at the table? Who gives a cr@p? Russia is there as an anti-Israel cheerleader. Syria is irrelevant to talks between Israel and the PA. Ditto for the EU countries and the Arab federation. Saudi Arabia is important to the USA, but they also have no part in these talks. And I doubt that Bush would get the Saudi's names wrong anyway. So who really gives a damn what anyone else thinks about how Bush pronounces names?

Perhaps you are right, though. Perhaps this is a result of Bush having more important things to deal with than proper pronunciation of the names. Like maybe policy issues, the talks themselves, running a war, etc. Perhaps he has a different set of priorities than you do.

Elliot