".....The media is one reason GWB us considered "dumb". That's what they told us for eight years and wanted us to think. I chose to think for myself....." (chuckd)

There is left and right wing media. There certainly is two sides to any story. There's the National Guard story, the Viet Nam service story, the drunk driving stories, the MBA story etc....

We could research for months getting story and counter-story......we are left only with words from the horses mouth as the best source of our impression...GWB speaking. I would make a gentleman's wager (or a bet for $100) that there are many many more verifiably true quotes from GWB that show him to be poorly educated and of low IQ.

Would anyone like to start posting quotes that make GWB look intelligent?

You KNOW that I can post quotes that show him to be a fool, so I'll refrain for now.

When one can never be sure of the media, left or right slant, if one gets an impression from the man's own words that he is not too bright, then one could quite reasonably take the side of the left-wing media.

It is not in dispute that GWB was far from glib. This however does not equate to him being poorly educated. The Harvard MBA (which is not 'a story', but a fact) proves that he is educated. His delivery causes him to 'sound' unintelligent. As I said, he is not glib. Some mistakenly equate glibness to intelligence. By now, after experiencing Obama, it should be clear that this is not always the case.

Venturalaw:

Your last two sentences say it all. Very well put.

".....The media is one reason GWB us considered "dumb". That's what they told us for eight years and wanted us to think. I chose to think for myself....." (chuckd)

There is left and right wing media. There certainly is two sides to any story. There's the National Guard story, the Viet Nam service story, the drunk driving stories, the MBA story etc....

We could research for months getting story and counter-story......we are left only with words from the horses mouth as the best source of our impression...GWB speaking. I would make a gentleman's wager (or a bet for $100) that there are many many more verifiably true quotes from GWB that show him to be poorly educated and of low IQ.

Would anyone like to start posting quotes that make GWB look intelligent?

You KNOW that I can post quotes that show him to be a fool, so I'll refrain for now.

When one can never be sure of the media, left or right slant, if one gets an impression from the man's own words that he is not too bright, then one could quite reasonably take the side of the left-wing media.

It is not in dispute that GWB was far from glib. This however does not equate to him being poorly educated. The Harvard MBA (which is not 'a story', but a fact) proves that he is educated. His delivery causes him to 'sound' unintelligent. As I said, he is not glib. Some mistakenly equate glibness to intelligence. By now, after experiencing Obama, it should be clear that this is not always the case.

You are presenting as fact that his MBA was well-earned. Supposition.

If GWB was glib, it would be an improvement...at least it would show an aquisition of a decent vocabulary. GWB does not even have a halfway decent vocabulary, let alone the ability to use it.

Having recieved an education does not infer having intelligence. Knowledge is not intelligence. Using knowledge is.

If it sounds unintelligent, looks unintelligent, and acts unintelligent.....it probably IS unintelligent!

".....The media is one reason GWB us considered "dumb". That's what they told us for eight years and wanted us to think. I chose to think for myself....." (chuckd)

There is left and right wing media. There certainly is two sides to any story. There's the National Guard story, the Viet Nam service story, the drunk driving stories, the MBA story etc....

We could research for months getting story and counter-story......we are left only with words from the horses mouth as the best source of our impression...GWB speaking. I would make a gentleman's wager (or a bet for $100) that there are many many more verifiably true quotes from GWB that show him to be poorly educated and of low IQ.

Would anyone like to start posting quotes that make GWB look intelligent?

You KNOW that I can post quotes that show him to be a fool, so I'll refrain for now.

When one can never be sure of the media, left or right slant, if one gets an impression from the man's own words that he is not too bright, then one could quite reasonably take the side of the left-wing media.

It is not in dispute that GWB was far from glib. This however does not equate to him being poorly educated. The Harvard MBA (which is not 'a story', but a fact) proves that he is educated. His delivery causes him to 'sound' unintelligent. As I said, he is not glib. Some mistakenly equate glibness to intelligence. By now, after experiencing Obama, it should be clear that this is not always the case.

You are presenting as fact that his MBA was well-earned. Supposition.

is

If GWB was glib, it would be an improvement...at least it would show an aquisition of a decent vocabulary. GWB does not even have a halfway decent vocabulary, let alone the ability to use it.

Having recieved an education does not infer having intelligence. Knowledge is not intelligence. Using knowledge is.

If it sounds unintelligent, looks unintelligent, and acts unintelligent.....it probably IS unintelligent!

I did not present as fact that his MBA was 'well earned.' You stated that he was uneducated. If you are challenging whether the MBA was 'earned'. I refer you to the following link:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/02/gwb_hbs_mba.html

The author attended Harvard and completed the MBA program during the time that GWB was in attendance. The author spells out his credentials in support of the fact that GWB earned his MBA. What are your qualifications in challenging this fact?

"GWB does not even have a halfway decent vocabulary, let alone the ability to use it". Being glib is about delivery. From GWB's inability to be glib you are assuming that his vocabulary is lacking. That is supposition.

"Having recieved an education does not infer having intelligence. Knowledge is not intelligence. Using knowledge is." The ability to acquire knowledge requires intelligence. I acquired an MBA. Whether it was earned or not is the subject of the aforestated article.

"looks unintelligent"??? You must be kidding

http://totallylookslike.com/2008/07/15/george-bush/

We may be talking at cross purposes....what's your definition of "glib"

I was thinking:

Definitions of glib on the Web:

• marked by lack of intellectual depth; "glib generalizations"; "a glib response to a complex question"
  
• having only superficial plausibility; "glib promises"; "a slick commercial"
  
• artfully persuasive in speech; "a glib tongue"; "a smooth-tongued hypocrite"
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
  

It appears that your MBA was well earned...you come across as intelligent.

Bush has never come across as intelligent, so Bush's MBA on the other hand.....

We may have to agree to disagree on this......unless you can come up with some quotes, his academic notes, or something that is not from the rightist media, I will continue to believe that GWB is a moron.

It appears that your MBA was well earned...you come across as intelligent.

Bush has never come across as intelligent, so Bush's MBA on the other hand.....

We may have to agree to disagree on this......unless you can come up with some quotes, his academic notes, or something that is not from the rightist media, I will continue to believe that GWB is a moron.

Couldn't agree, more.

We may be talking at cross purposes....what's your definition of "glib"

I was thinking:

Definitions of glib on the Web:

• marked by lack of intellectual depth; "glib generalizations"; "a glib response to a complex question"
  
• having only superficial plausibility; "glib promises"; "a slick commercial"
  
• artfully persuasive in speech; "a glib tongue"; "a smooth-tongued hypocrite"
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
  

The definition that I was using was "artfully persuasive in speech; "a glib tongue".

http://totallylookslike.com/2008/07/15/george-bush/

Yes, let's agree to disagree. Regarding links, I would put the intelligence quotient and reliability regarding the author of my link:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/02/gwb_hbs_mba.html up against your link: http://totallylookslike.com/2008/07/15/george-bush/, any day. My link is written by one who has personal knowledge of what he speaks. It is not merely a 'right-wing' opp-edd piece. Your link, on the other hand, is a joke.

It's been quite awhile since I've posted last. Next month I will have been back Stateside for a year . . . and not at all happy about it.

I've been following the economy here on a daily basis religiously since Jan. '08 at sites such as Mish's Global Economics Trend Analysis, The Market Ticker, Naked Capitalism, Zero Hedge, and many more. My education in understanding the financial aspects of this crisis has been absolutely parabolic over the last 1-1/2+ years. It's been one hellavu eyeopener. So here's my report on the crisis from ground zero:

My opinion? Obama is a sham. Always has been. I grew up in Chicago and am well acquainted with Chicago-style politics. It is here that Obama has learned his craft. You learn to be smooth, a requirement to garner the all-important trust from people. Ignore his rhetoric for a moment and simply take a good, hard look at his actions. One only needs to take a look at the financial wizards he has surrounded himself with since coming into office - all of them major players in the creation of this crisis. Is he truly so unwitting to have brought back into play some of the worst financial actors possible? I highly doubt it. Also, take a good look at broken campaign promises thus far.

If I had to pick a single Obama statement which was telltale of whether or not any of his campaign promises were genuine it would be his response to the question of bringing to justice the fraudsters/banksters and any other players who have robbed this country blind. He stated that we needed to look forward, not backward. In other words, with one fell swoop he gave his presidential pardon to the crooks . . . and sent them the message that they were protected.

Since I do have my ear very close to the ground here I can say that the anger in this country is rapidly building. The financial deterioration of the U.S. continues unabated, despite the tremendous effort of government and mass media to spin hope and fictitious green shoots. Senator Durbin from Illinois made public the comment that "they [banksters] own the place." And the Chinese are pissed. Do not count them out.

Personally, I believe things will get much, much worse here over the next few years. So many people, and I'm referring to people well versed in the financial world, are simply waiting for the straw that breaks the camel's back. Unfortunately there is not enough time or space to relate in great detail the myriad of daily events covering almost all aspects of this crisis - from pension funds troubles to states which are broke (California anyone?) to the continued decline in housing to commercial real estate market imploding to the manipulation of the stock market to the host of insidious games the banks play to on and on and on . . . Feel free to check out some of the sites I mentioned above and please, don't take my perspective to heart but judge for yourselves.

BTW, my background is as an engineer in the metal stamping industry. Our industry was one of the first to take a grave blow from outsourcing almost a decade ago when China entered the WTO. And it may have started in earnest with NAFTA. Today, this industry is literally dying. Chicago went from being the tool & die capital of the world a mere decade ago, where a tool maker could quit his job in the morning and have a new one in the afternoon, to the ghost of it's former self where you would be lucky to find a job, period. I'll not even mention what's happened to wages for these very highly skilled workers.

One final note: Obama had honed his election campaign platform for "Hope and Change You Can Believe In" mightily. He's been given monikers such as "The One" and "The Saviour." I, myself, am thoroughly and utterly appalled that the people of the United States, once known the world over for their rugged individualism, are so down-trodden, believe so little in the power of the individual, that they now seek someone else to mitigate their future for them, cry tears of joy on election night to pay homage to another empty suit, and completely fool themselves once again. It's been mind-boggling for me to witness over the past two years.

It's been quite awhile since I've posted last. Next month I will have been back Stateside for a year . . . and not at all happy about it.

I've been following the economy here on a daily basis religiously since Jan. '08 at sites such as Mish's Global Economics Trend Analysis, The Market Ticker, Naked Capitalism, Zero Hedge, and many more. My education in understanding the financial aspects of this crisis has been absolutely parabolic over the last 1-1/2+ years. It's been one hellavu eyeopener. So here's my report on the crisis from ground zero:

My opinion? Obama is a sham. Always has been. I grew up in Chicago and am well acquainted with Chicago-style politics. It is here that Obama has learned his craft. You learn to be smooth, a requirement to garner the all-important trust from people. Ignore his rhetoric for a moment and simply take a good, hard look at his actions. One only needs to take a look at the financial wizards he has surrounded himself with since coming into office - all of them major players in the creation of this crisis. Is he truly so unwitting to have brought back into play some of the worst financial actors possible? I highly doubt it. Also, take a good look at broken campaign promises thus far.

If I had to pick a single Obama statement which was telltale of whether or not any of his campaign promises were genuine it would be his response to the question of bringing to justice the fraudsters/banksters and any other players who have robbed this country blind. He stated that we needed to look forward, not backward. In other words, with one fell swoop he gave his presidential pardon to the crooks . . . and sent them the message that they were protected.

Since I do have my ear very close to the ground here I can say that the anger in this country is rapidly building. The financial deterioration of the U.S. continues unabated, despite the tremendous effort of government and mass media to spin hope and fictitious green shoots. Senator Durbin from Illinois made public the comment that "they [banksters] own the place." And the Chinese are pissed. Do not count them out.

Personally, I believe things will get much, much worse here over the next few years. So many people, and I'm referring to people well versed in the financial world, are simply waiting for the straw that breaks the camel's back. Unfortunately there is not enough time or space to relate in great detail the myriad of daily events covering almost all aspects of this crisis - from pension funds troubles to states which are broke (California anyone?) to the continued decline in housing to commercial real estate market imploding to the manipulation of the stock market to the host of insidious games the banks play to on and on and on . . . Feel free to check out some of the sites I mentioned above and please, don't take my perspective to heart but judge for yourselves.

BTW, my background is as an engineer in the metal stamping industry. Our industry was one of the first to take a grave blow from outsourcing almost a decade ago when China entered the WTO. And it may have started in earnest with NAFTA. Today, this industry is literally dying. Chicago went from being the tool & die capital of the world a mere decade ago, where a tool maker could quit his job in the morning and have a new one in the afternoon, to the ghost of it's former self where you would be lucky to find a job, period. I'll not even mention what's happened to wages for these very highly skilled workers.

One final note: Obama had honed his election campaign platform for "Hope and Change You Can Believe In" mightily. He's been given monikers such as "The One" and "The Saviour." I, myself, am thoroughly and utterly appalled that the people of the United States, once known the world over for their rugged individualism, are so down-trodden, believe so little in the power of the individual, that they now seek someone else to mitigate their future for them, cry tears of joy on election night to pay homage to another empty suit, and completely fool themselves once again. It's been mind-boggling for me to witness over the past two years.

Extremely well said. I certainly do not miss being stateside. I'm from California and the attitude of the people before I left 2 years ago was on it's way downhill. I last visited from Sept. 08 - Jan. 09. Unfriendly would be a significant understatement. It's such a pity. A beautiful state where now the courts, which were already overburdened, have to close every 3rd. Wednesday of every month starting this month because of the budgetary crises.

Did Goldman Sachs really contribute nearly a $million to Obamas election?

"Chains we can believe in"

Regards.

It's been quite awhile since I've posted last. Next month I will have been back Stateside for a year . . . and not at all happy about it.

I've been following the economy here on a daily basis religiously since Jan. '08 at sites such as Mish's Global Economics Trend Analysis, The Market Ticker, Naked Capitalism, Zero Hedge, and many more. My education in understanding the financial aspects of this crisis has been absolutely parabolic over the last 1-1/2+ years. It's been one hellavu eyeopener. So here's my report on the crisis from ground zero:

My opinion? Obama is a sham. Always has been. I grew up in Chicago and am well acquainted with Chicago-style politics. It is here that Obama has learned his craft. You learn to be smooth, a requirement to garner the all-important trust from people. Ignore his rhetoric for a moment and simply take a good, hard look at his actions. One only needs to take a look at the financial wizards he has surrounded himself with since coming into office - all of them major players in the creation of this crisis. Is he truly so unwitting to have brought back into play some of the worst financial actors possible? I highly doubt it. Also, take a good look at broken campaign promises thus far.

If I had to pick a single Obama statement which was telltale of whether or not any of his campaign promises were genuine it would be his response to the question of bringing to justice the fraudsters/banksters and any other players who have robbed this country blind. He stated that we needed to look forward, not backward. In other words, with one fell swoop he gave his presidential pardon to the crooks . . . and sent them the message that they were protected.

Since I do have my ear very close to the ground here I can say that the anger in this country is rapidly building. The financial deterioration of the U.S. continues unabated, despite the tremendous effort of government and mass media to spin hope and fictitious green shoots. Senator Durbin from Illinois made public the comment that "they [banksters] own the place." And the Chinese are pissed. Do not count them out.

Personally, I believe things will get much, much worse here over the next few years. So many people, and I'm referring to people well versed in the financial world, are simply waiting for the straw that breaks the camel's back. Unfortunately there is not enough time or space to relate in great detail the myriad of daily events covering almost all aspects of this crisis - from pension funds troubles to states which are broke (California anyone?) to the continued decline in housing to commercial real estate market imploding to the manipulation of the stock market to the host of insidious games the banks play to on and on and on . . . Feel free to check out some of the sites I mentioned above and please, don't take my perspective to heart but judge for yourselves.

BTW, my background is as an engineer in the metal stamping industry. Our industry was one of the first to take a grave blow from outsourcing almost a decade ago when China entered the WTO. And it may have started in earnest with NAFTA. Today, this industry is literally dying. Chicago went from being the tool & die capital of the world a mere decade ago, where a tool maker could quit his job in the morning and have a new one in the afternoon, to the ghost of it's former self where you would be lucky to find a job, period. I'll not even mention what's happened to wages for these very highly skilled workers.

One final note: Obama had honed his election campaign platform for "Hope and Change You Can Believe In" mightily. He's been given monikers such as "The One" and "The Saviour." I, myself, am thoroughly and utterly appalled that the people of the United States, once known the world over for their rugged individualism, are so down-trodden, believe so little in the power of the individual, that they now seek someone else to mitigate their future for them, cry tears of joy on election night to pay homage to another empty suit, and completely fool themselves once again. It's been mind-boggling for me to witness over the past two years.

Extremely well said. I certainly do not miss being stateside. I'm from California and the attitude of the people before I left 2 years ago was on it's way downhill. I last visited from Sept. 08 - Jan. 09. Unfriendly would be a significant understatement. It's such a pity. A beautiful state where now the courts, which were already overburdened, have to close every 3rd. Wednesday of every month starting this month because of the budgetary crises.

So would you two guys prefer GWB back at the helm? I know he can't do a 3rd term, but just for the discussion.

Did you ever consider that there are more things to life than the economy, and whats more, an economy that is designed to help the rich get richer and the poor poorer?

Don't get me wrong....I'm a capitalist, but I have a social conscience. I think that for some people, Obama represents issues other than the economy; international affairs etc, for which Bush gave the US a realy bad name. Not that Bush did anything great with the economy either.....he had 8 years in office and handed Obama a hospital pass. (Rugby term: the reciever of the ball ends up in hospital).

Obama has got into the saddle and had to take over the reins of a crazy horse. GWB spent 8 years feeding that horse loco weed.

and handed Obama a hospital pass. (Rugby term: the reciever of the ball ends up in hospital).

A hospital pass doesn't actually mean a wrong 'un, just to mix my sporting metaphors, however it is about how you pick that ball off your shoe laces, side step a couple of tackles and kick the ball into touch for a 5 metre line out.

How he directs future revival will be partly down to a lucky break in the line out or whether he resort to 'bloodgate' tactics, however one thing to learn from, is that he doesn't have to quote from a whole body of legislature, when he only is referring to one part of it.

It helps for clarity

So would you two guys prefer GWB back at the helm? I know he can't do a 3rd term, but just for the discussion.

Did you ever consider that there are more things to life than the economy, and whats more, an economy that is designed to help the rich get richer and the poor poorer?

Don't get me wrong....I'm a capitalist, but I have a social conscience. I think that for some people, Obama represents issues other than the economy; international affairs etc, for which Bush gave the US a realy bad name. Not that Bush did anything great with the economy either.....he had 8 years in office and handed Obama a hospital pass. (Rugby term: the reciever of the ball ends up in hospital).

Obama has got into the saddle and had to take over the reins of a crazy horse. GWB spent 8 years feeding that horse loco weed.

Making the assumption that we would prefer Bush simply because we do not believe in Obama is a straw man argument.

I believe leaders are merely reflections of society as a whole. As an example, would you expect a war mongering nation to have a pacifist as their leader? Of course not. A Muslim nation with a Christian at it's helm? Highly doubtful. Americans as individuals, from my perspective, have long ago lost not only their moral compass but also their self-determination, among other qualities. They've surrendered the latter to their politicians and would even argue against their own capabilities to make wise choices. I see Obama as the perfect fit for a society gripped in fear, disbelieving in themselves, and unwilling to accept their own power. America desperately wants someone to "save" them. Unfortunately, that is a non-solution and could never work for too many apparent reasons.

The U.S. Constitution was/is a remarkable document in that it recognizes and provides for the most basic and self-evident of human rights. The writers of that document were obviously men who had given great and deep thought to the issues that challenged them during their time. I believe it's time for not only Americans but people throughout the world to begin digging a bit deeper at the underlying issues which are the true source of our current challenges. Only then will people begin to start asking meaningful questions as to their true nature as human beings. That questioning would bring about a much needed change in core values and a natural return to restoring basic human rights.

Since greed has a tendency to blacken hearts my view of the nature of this crisis is that, at it's root, the true issue is the economy of the heart.

"Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."

Samuel Adams

'"........The U.S. Constitution was/is a remarkable document in that it recognizes and provides for the most basic and self-evident of human rights. The writers of that document were obviously men who had given great and deep thought to the issues that challenged them during their time. I believe it's time for not only Americans but people throughout the world to begin digging a bit deeper at the underlying issues which are the true source of our current challenges. Only then will people begin to start asking meaningful questions as to their true nature as human beings. That questioning would bring about a much needed change in core values and a natural return to restoring basic human rights.

Since greed has a tendency to blacken hearts my view of the nature of this crisis is that, at it's root, the true issue is the economy of the heart.

"Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."

Samuel Adams ..."

Excellent idealism that I subscribe to. Being a realist also.....well, if only we could.

So would you two guys prefer GWB back at the helm? I know he can't do a 3rd term, but just for the discussion.

Did you ever consider that there are more things to life than the economy, and whats more, an economy that is designed to help the rich get richer and the poor poorer?

Don't get me wrong....I'm a capitalist, but I have a social conscience. I think that for some people, Obama represents issues other than the economy; international affairs etc, for which Bush gave the US a realy bad name. Not that Bush did anything great with the economy either.....he had 8 years in office and handed Obama a hospital pass. (Rugby term: the reciever of the ball ends up in hospital).

Obama has got into the saddle and had to take over the reins of a crazy horse. GWB spent 8 years feeding that horse loco weed.

Isn't it interesting when a liberal has no position to argue, they always bring up GWB?

Did GWB make mistakes? Certainly, he did.

Has and will BHO made mistakes? Certainly he has and will.

Did the American electorate make a mistake in 2008? Absolutely, positively, 100% certain a mistake has been made.

Will the mistake be corrected in 2010 and 2012? Hopefully so!

'"........The U.S. Constitution was/is a remarkable document in that it recognizes and provides for the most basic and self-evident of human rights. The writers of that document were obviously men who had given great and deep thought to the issues that challenged them during their time. I believe it's time for not only Americans but people throughout the world to begin digging a bit deeper at the underlying issues which are the true source of our current challenges. Only then will people begin to start asking meaningful questions as to their true nature as human beings. That questioning would bring about a much needed change in core values and a natural return to restoring basic human rights.

Since greed has a tendency to blacken hearts my view of the nature of this crisis is that, at it's root, the true issue is the economy of the heart.

"Neither the wisest Constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."

Samuel Adams ..."

Excellent idealism that I subscribe to. Being a realist also.....well, if only we could.

The idealism is achievable. But only when it is believed that it can be made "real." Being a realist is a tricky thing, IMHO. What's real for one person may or may not be real for another. We all seem to live in the same world, but the world of a beggar is obviously much different than the world of a billionaire. How would each of them define "realist," or what "real" is? Assuredly much, much differently.

So would you two guys prefer GWB back at the helm? I know he can't do a 3rd term, but just for the discussion.

Did you ever consider that there are more things to life than the economy, and whats more, an economy that is designed to help the rich get richer and the poor poorer?

Don't get me wrong....I'm a capitalist, but I have a social conscience. I think that for some people, Obama represents issues other than the economy; international affairs etc, for which Bush gave the US a realy bad name. Not that Bush did anything great with the economy either.....he had 8 years in office and handed Obama a hospital pass. (Rugby term: the reciever of the ball ends up in hospital).

Obama has got into the saddle and had to take over the reins of a crazy horse. GWB spent 8 years feeding that horse loco weed.

Isn't it interesting when a liberal has no position to argue, they always bring up GWB?

Did GWB make mistakes? Certainly, he did.

Has and will BHO made mistakes? Certainly he has and will.

Did the American electorate make a mistake in 2008? Absolutely, positively, 100% certain a mistake has been made.

Will the mistake be corrected in 2010 and 2012? Hopefully so!

I hope, I pray, that people have figured out by now that there is no party, Democrat nor Republican, which is not corrupt to the bone. The debate which continues to rage between people of Democrat vs. Republican is nothing more than a distraction from core issues; a huge one, I'll add. There are those who have seen through the two-party charade and are clamouring for a 3rd party. And that would be a solution, I ask? Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Quite some time ago I read a post elsewhere entitled, "Citizenship Is Not A Spectator Sport." If you came into a large sum of money and decided to protect it's value through investment would you choose a broker from the phone book, hand him your stash, then return in four years to see how well he's done for you? Most people vote for politicians they know precious little about, put them in office, and then do nothing else over the course of the term. How has that been working?

I've only seen Obama speak 2 times (thankfully Bush even less), once on American television while I was travelling there on the occasion of his nomination and I Youtubed his inauguration speech. He would seem to be extremely gifted in delivering his rhetoric. Only time will tell if he can follow through on his promises. Like Tippaporn I was distressed to see his economic team. That said, I was perusing a news site today and found that he was making a speech to the nations schoolchildren that was being characterized as "controversial". I went to the White House site and read the speech and in my opinion it is anything but controversial and sounds pretty much like the lectures I give my own children.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/P...dSchoolRemarks/

I really have to question the motives of anyone who could find offense with this speech. Hopefully they won't pass their prejudices on to their children.

I've only seen Obama speak 2 times (thankfully Bush even less), once on American television while I was travelling there on the occasion of his nomination and I Youtubed his inauguration speech. He would seem to be extremely gifted in delivering his rhetoric. Only time will tell if he can follow through on his promises. Like Tippaporn I was distressed to see his economic team. That said, I was perusing a news site today and found that he was making a speech to the nations schoolchildren that was being characterized as "controversial". I went to the White House site and read the speech and in my opinion it is anything but controversial and sounds pretty much like the lectures I give my own children.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/P...dSchoolRemarks/

I really have to question the motives of anyone who could find offense with this speech. Hopefully they won't pass their prejudices on to their children.

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The teleprompter isn't a joke but is indicative to me. Why would anyone need a prompter to remind them of what they want to say? Anyone speaking with conviction and complete understanding needs neither prompter or notes. With conviction speaking comes from the heart, effortlessly and flowingly. Obama is a mouthpiece.

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The teleprompter isn't a joke but is indicative to me. Why would anyone need a prompter to remind them of what they want to say? Anyone speaking with conviction and complete understanding needs neither prompter or notes. With conviction speaking comes from the heart, effortlessly and flowingly. Obama is a mouthpiece.

Actually the teleprompter has been a source of many jokes in the media (not the mainstream media) because he takes it everywhere - even to press conferences. And when it has failed him (due to some temporary breakdown) his delivery has been pitiful.

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The teleprompter isn't a joke but is indicative to me. Why would anyone need a prompter to remind them of what they want to say? Anyone speaking with conviction and complete understanding needs neither prompter or notes. With conviction speaking comes from the heart, effortlessly and flowingly. Obama is a mouthpiece.

like Bush, jr. i suppose?

One of the worst things I saw in America during the last 10 years of my living there was the rise of "process over substance". Braying asses would go on endlessly over peripheral topics having nothing to do with core issues. Like this teleprompter thing.

^^^^^LMAO 100% right

^^^^ No surprise there.

What? That I would agree with Lannarebirth?

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The teleprompter isn't a joke but is indicative to me. Why would anyone need a prompter to remind them of what they want to say? Anyone speaking with conviction and complete understanding needs neither prompter or notes. With conviction speaking comes from the heart, effortlessly and flowingly. Obama is a mouthpiece.

I think you'll find that many great public speakers use notes. Churchill certainly did.

The school children speech content was innocuous. He does speak well provided he has a teleprompter, which goes virtually everywhere he goes (it's become a joke). Without it his lack of knowledge and candor becomes glaringly evident.

The teleprompter isn't a joke but is indicative to me. Why would anyone need a prompter to remind them of what they want to say? Anyone speaking with conviction and complete understanding needs neither prompter or notes. With conviction speaking comes from the heart, effortlessly and flowingly. Obama is a mouthpiece.

I think you'll find that many great public speakers use notes. Churchill certainly did.

For your edification, notes require one have knowledge of the subject matter and are used merely as a guide to keep one on track. However, anyone can read from a teleprompter without having a clue about what they are talking. The reason why the teleprompter is significant is because when he fails to use it the pseudo-eloquent orator is exposed for what he is - a virtually clueless empty suit.

I didn't mean to imply notes are never needed. Endure and Venturalaw are right, they are useful in many instances. But a teleprompter when speaking to children?

lannarebirth mentions process over substance. I think the reason that people are pointing out his over reliance of the teleprompter is not to distract from core issues but to simply note that it appears to be another indication that he is truly an empty suit. Otherwise, I agree. It shouldn't be an overly focused upon issue.