Reply #3: How can one person be so freaking inarticulate?

[July]

This is what convinces me that Bush is below average in intelligence.

Know any well-to-do people? If you do, you know that even when their kids turn out to be on the dumb side, the parents' wealth helps to mitigate their witlessness. The parents provide tutors and opportunities to see the world, enjoy the arts, meet interesting people, learn how to conduct oneself in public. The end result is that often the not-so-bright offspring nonetheless achieves his or her fullest potential and acquires some polish. (Let me add that some people WITHOUT much wherewithal manage to do just as well for their children, but my point is that wealth helps enormously.)

Now, GWB had, I would wager, even more opportunities than most, because his family has had great wealth for a long time and is also a well-connected family. He could have seen the world; though he didn't do that, he certainly met many major players on the world stage because of his father's several important positions in politics. He went to fine schools, even as a child. I don't know about his mother's education, but his father was well-educated and apparently accomplished in school (and I believe I've read that he's fluent in French). I'm guessing the arts weren't too important to the Bushes because I haven't seen evidence of it, so I can't comment on his cultural awareness. As for social graces, he's certainly been to more than a few formal banquets and special events where he would have been expected to show (and observe) some poise and good manners.

And yet he can barely express a thought. His shallowness is unbelievable. His manners are frightening. Even his body language is "ungrammatical." Has anyone ever done less with more? With all the advantages in life, he is a barely functioning uncouth boob. The fact that his upbringing did not help him acquire even a bit of polish, poise, or clarity suggests to me that his mental capabilities are below par.

That's my theory, anyway.