Goerge Bush thought Nelson Mandela was dead.

YouTube - Bush pronounces Mandela dead

Just another silly speech by America's president George Bush.

Unfortunately I really don't see any serious discussion arising from this.


However, we'll see. The thread is on probation, if people manage to get a good, serious, discussion going then it'll stay open. If not then it'll be locked.

I see, I didn't think that you really took these discussions so seriously, instead I thought it was just a place to inform the community on what has happened in the past, or on funny topics where you can discuss things for fun. I guess not...

This mistake is funny, and it's obvious Bush got some names mixed up, but honestly, political leaders make mistakes too. He probably just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or had a temporary lapse in memory.

Seriously folks, I can understand poking fun at Bush for his poor public speaking skills; he holds a position generally occupied by great orators and simply isn't capable of doing it justice. Yeah, its funny... but does that reflect on his presendential ability? Not really; it just shows that he has been able to overcome one of the greatest fears in the modern world (public spaking) without the help of natrual apptitude.

But this is rediculous; blatant mindless anti-Bushism at its finest. For those not willing to watch the video, it sounds like this:
"People ask 'where's Mandela?'. Well, Mandela's dead. Sadam Hussein killed all the Mandelas"

Which, of course, is a perfectly logical and concise statement. The sentence is figurative; not to be read "the aging South African politician id dead", its "The Iraqi-born idealist revolutionary is dead". Its called Metonymy, my friends, and its a general convention of our language.

Which, of course, is why the meaning would have been obvious from any other speaker. When Bush says it, though... well, then we get to nock ourselves down an intellectual peg or two and tear into 'em. Awesome.

Well, nocking him down a peg on an intellectual level is simply lost on the target and the audience. If the past five years have shown us, the intellectual is drowned out for what sells.

A funny Bush is quite popular, you see.

Wow, this thread is retarded. When will people get that this kind of stuff doesn't matter? The only thing that matters about a president is his ability to run the country. Stop being so freaking stupid.

So then let us harangue President Bush for his non-ability to run the country from his office. It's certainly a broader field we could pursue.