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I don't doubt W. is a smart man, but I seriously doubt this: > One of my students asked “How involved was President Bush with what was going on?” I smiled and
by navait 10y ago
I don't doubt W. is a smart man, but I seriously doubt this:
> One of my students asked “How involved was President Bush with what was going on?” I smiled and responded, “What you really mean is, ‘Was President Bush smart enough to understand what was going on,’ right?”
Some presidents delegate more to trusted subordinates(Reagan), preferring to pick a knowledgeable person. Some have a more collegial atmosphere and take on things directly.(Clinton) [[Politics of the Presidency, 6th edition]]
I think that's a valid question to ask without meaning "how smart is Bush". For example, many decisions were made about the Iraq war, such as de-baathification of the country. Bremer ordered this, but did bush know and or order it, or did he trust Bremer to make the right call? This is important to interpreting and judging his presidency. And instead of answering that (important) question, he assumes that the student is asking if the president is dumb. He doesn't even let the student answer if that was a correct interpretation!
- 464192002d7fe1c 10y agoI read this is a higher-level overview of the situation, and not a direct transcript from the classroom. I wouldn't assume that this was asked in isolation, or that there was no follow-up. Also, it really only serves as a framing device for the rest of the article, its not particularly material to the meat of the story. Unless, of course, you want to argue that nobody thought George Bush was a dummy which I know to be personally untrue.