His speaking is better than 2002-2005 - WHY?

[New Government]

I have mentioned this before. Something is up with Bush and his health. From 2002 - 2005 the man had a complete blubbering idiot-like speaking style. He stumbled and stammered and we all talked about it regularly here. All kinds of speculation as to what caused it.

However, as much as I disagree with Bush himself and what he is saying in this news conference, he simply does NOT have that "spaced out" and stammering idiot-style speaking manner. He's still not a great speaker - don't get me wrong. But, his style is looser, not as stressed and closer to when he was Governor of Texas.

Something was wrong for all those years. He has returned to being semi-coherent while speaking and it makes the '02-'05 speeches (especially news conferences, which he never really had, and off-the-cuff remarks) really stand out as being those of a drugged up man or a man with serious health problems. But any DUer who is honest has to admit he is different, more fluent is maybe the word I'm looking for, than he was.

Agree? Disagree? Theories on why this seems to be the case?



edit double word.

[kentuck]

1. He finally got it memorized...?

Now he can say it in his sleep. Notice that he says the same shit over and over?

[New Government]

9. That's true

But it's the ability to string more than three words together.
Something is/was wrong health-wise and they found a drug to treat it, or.....hell....I have a lot of theories, but seriously, they successfully covered something up for a long time. The difference is obvious, but nobody in the MSM will discuss it.

[shadowknows69]

2. I don't know what speech you were watching

But...Yeah...I'm going to have to go ahead and just disagree with you on that one ok?

[otokogi]

he still sounds like a newbie USED CAR SALESMAN to me...

:shrug:

[annabanana]

3. My son just made an observation...

He seems to tie his responses to key words. (And it's smoother when he's talking tko "friendly" media people). He'll take the one word, and then to spout a preprogrammed response, with that word as the trigger.

(Oh yeah, the "peace takes time" speech)

[TahitiNut]

20. Yep. He's like a Chatty Cathy doll.

When the 'string' is pulled that triggers stump speech 328, that's what he spews. His head seems full of superficial fictions that don't exist in the real world, but he's so bereft of any in-depth comprehension that he regurgitates the cartoonish, hackneyed crap like he's some sort of seer speaking down to those who don't comprehend the simple. It's like a 5-year-old patronizingly describing the social 'realities' of kindergarten, failing totally to comprehend that the simplistic interactions of kindergarten are based on superficialities that don't realistically exist in the 'real world.' (He's gotten 55 years of excess mileage out of a behavior that's 'cute' in a 5-year-old.)

He's completely disconnected and so abysmally inexperienced and untutored that he's not even aware of how devoid he is of the necessary comprehension.

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. It's his campaign mode style

He's fully in campaign mode.

[TomInTib]

10. That's it. Pre-programmed, cruising. nt

[Richard Steele]

5. A: They've got his meds fine-tuned better than 2 years ago.

B: He's had a few years of practice repeating
the voice-feed from his earpiece.

[Mabus]

11. C: Lowered expectations

We don't expect much, so when he actually utters a rehearsed sentence coherently it just sounds like he's improved his speaking ability.

[Richard Steele]

19. You really have a point there.

I think all his gaffes and malapropisms get repeated so much,
it comes as a shock when we're reminded that he doesn't do it
every single sentence.

And putting 3 correct sentences in a row is enough to
make me think "Wow, he's really on the ball today."

Lowered expectations indeed.

[Minnesota Libra]

6. Could it be that he's drugged up enough to keep him on an.............

.....even plane??? That's my take on it.

[AzDar]

7. Sounded like a stuttering fool to me.... n/t

:shrug:

[New Government]

12. Never mind then

I wasn't praising the idiot! If some here don't want to admit that his total "space out" inability to talk has changed; and discuss why without the delusion that it's just as bad as ever - I guess there's nothing to talk about. I'm seriouslyinterested in this and would like to know why. The "campaign mode" and "drugged up" thoughts in posts above is the closest we've come to a possibility. But, still, something is different and to me, you're letting politics get in the way if you don't see it. Failing to see a change in the enemy's ability to communicate - and admit it - is at our own peril.

[kenny blankenship]

8. Doctors found a small hard lump of gray matter lodged in his skull

rolling & rattling around inside. They removed it and George has been right as rain ever since.

[maxsolomon]

13. the politics are largely behind him

the reagan-lite idiot act paid off, less profit in keeping it up at this point.

[New Government]

14. Hmmmm.......interesting. That's a thought. -- n/t

[Rose Siding]

15. Last week he compared the "United States and America"

I haven't noted any improvement :shrug:

[Catshrink]

16. Maybe he's back on booze

and what we saw before were the dry drunk-withdrawal stuff.

[uppityperson]

17. Is he not spouting haiku?

I didn't listen today as I am avoiding extra stress. Is he not haikuing anymore?
you know what I mean when
he says only a
few words then must pause?

[kurth]

18. The act of repetition enhances learning in chimpanzees

[Warpy]

21. Antabuse? Naloxone?

He gave every indication of someone with Wernicke Korsakoff who had continued to drink and whose condition was worsening rapidly.

Wernicke Korsakoff can be arrested and the physical symptoms (staggering gait, poor muscle control, slurred speech, etc) treated by high doses of Thiamine. The cognitive deficits of poor memory and confabulation to cover it will persist.

My guess is that they started to dry him out just before the 2004 campaign.

People who quit without treatment have a very poor prognosis, no matter how much they claim to love Jesus. Typically, they just get better at lying to themselves and everyone else, and who's gonna doubt a guy clutching a bible?

[New Government]

25. True

That's been discussed here on DU before as a possibility and could be spot-on.

and who's gonna doubt a guy clutching a bible?

Very true. I watched ELMER GANTRY last weekend. I've seen it a dozen times, what a GREAT movie!

[ms liberty]

22. My thoughts on this...

Most of his appearances are scheduled for early in the day, particularly when those appearances include Q&A sessions with the media, where he is expected to speak extemporaneously. I've noticed this without really keeping track of it. But I remember during the 04 campaign and directly after, when he seemed to be coming unglued, it was at nighttime appearances that it showed the most. At about the time we at DU were noticing and commenting on it, suddenly his appearances started to be scheduled for mornings and afternoons.

Last night with Larry King, he was with a friendly questioner, and had the Pickle by his side. I'm sure, if things had gotten the least bit shaky, his handlers would have signalled an immediate commercial break.

This is just my thought on it, although it's an idea that could be checked out.

[AuntPatsy]

23. Disagree, I honesty didn't see much difference, same old, same old.

[Mandate My Ass]

24. So your opinion is the only "honest" one?

What an interesting way to start a conversation...

[New Government]

27. Of course not. I meant it in a colloquial way - that's all. n/t

[grasswire]

26. from just last week

Q Is the tide turning in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: I think -- tide turning -- see, as I remember -- I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of -- it's easy to see a tide turn -- did I say those words?
...................

I don't think he knows what happens when a tide turns.

[gatorboy]

28. Must've not watched his interview on Larry King.

He came off so incoherent that at times, Laura had to jump in and finish his thoughts.

[laundry_queen]

29. I saw parts of it

I actually thought he was a tad better than usual w/the bumbling and stumbling. I agree with the OP - he seems to be not quite so out to lunch lately.
My vote goes to the "he's started boozing again" camp.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

36. Booze it is

Once knew a guy who would loose pool games until he had at least 10 beers then he would start winning after he go past 15 no one could defeat him.

[lonestarnot]

33. exactree!

[peaches2003]

30. Heavy Breathing

Why does he do all that heavy breathing and start and stop every few words? The breathing like that drives me nuts. He talks like he's out of breath.:banghead:

[Hamlette]

31. I agree NG, he sounded better this AM

but I don't hear him often, I turn the station whenever he comes on. On my way to work this morning the other NPR station had something worse on so I listened. He was definately at his best.

I don't agree with the group that thinks he is stupid. I think that has led us to misunderestimate him to our peril. Since I'm clueless as to what makes him tick, and I've really tried to understand him, I can't begin to imagine what has happened to make him more articulate.

Maybe Babs told him she loved him, some have said her mothering style may have contributed to his shallow, craven, bullying nature. Maybe Pickels did threaten to leave him again if he didn't start showing some style. Maybe he's drinking again or on meds.

Or maybe the son of a bitch is pretending to like us so he can dismantle social security before he leaves office.

[lonestarnot]

32. I heard the bitch yesterday and he didn't sound like he had

improved any to me. :puke:

[H2O Man]

34. Respectfully disagree.

I think that he remains about the same. He tends to do better in the late morning than early evening. He is better in less formal situations. He does better on very general questions, and when he avoids attempting to answer serious ones. He continues to be an obnoxious, arrogant clown.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

35. Bushism from last month

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushisms.htm

"I think — tide turning — see, as I remember — I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of — it's easy to see a tide turn — did I say those words?" —George W. Bush, asked if the tide was turning in Iraq, Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

[demosincebirth]

37. We have to listen carefully. Jay Leno has some that happen almost

daily. The MSM isn't about to point them out.

[ladjf]

38. He is like a hack professional comedian, nothing he says is

ever "off the cuff" if at all possible. Almost everything he says , he has said it before many times. For that reason, he has developed a sort of patter that works, particularly in hand picked company.