Speaking of verbal gaffes: You've all heard G.W. Bush's stumble the other day. I don't think it'll have quite the lasting persistence of the footage of Bob Dole falling off the stage or the recent all-time champ…Bill Clinton wagging his finger. But as a clip that reduces our opinion of a public figure, it will have its impact. If you haven't seen it — and/or would like to see a funny packaging of it — check out what The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had to say. Click here if you have a high-speed Internet connection and here if you're connecting to the web via a Dixie cup and a string.
I am of two minds about this kind of thing. On the one mind, it's funny and the public certainly has a right to see its leaders at their worst. On the other, I think we pay way too much attention in this country to little matters unrelated to job performance. If someone wants to think a public figure is inept based on an economic program or specific job-related deeds, fine. But the public discourse these days has a tendency to dwell on little slips and gaffes, or even on normal speech and deeds that can be sold as dumb or dishonest, and to characterize entire human beings that way. During the '88 election, the previous Geo. Bush spoke of trying to "define" his opponent, Mr. Dukakis. That always struck me as a euphemism for selling the public on an unappealing, and not necessarily accurate caricature. Dukakis, riding around in tanks and ignoring the wilder charges, seemed determined to live down to that definition. Bob Dole was not as old as some thought and I actually know people who didn't vote for Al Gore because they thought he'd claimed credit for creating the Internet…
I don't think George Bush is the dummy his foes make him out to be, but I also don't think he's the brain that his supporters are trying to convince everyone (themselves, included) we all want in the White House. If there were an eloquent, committed Democrat out there speaking clearly against current policies, Bush would be two years from heading back to Texas to enjoy the perks of having made billions for crony capitalists.
Lucky for him, there's not much chance of that happening.