Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

There are reasons why President George Bush continues to dance a minuet around his harshest critics: They are not nearly as bright as he is. No one knows for certain where or when the “Bush is stupid” fallacy began, probably among media commentators infested with self importance who think too highly of their own intelligence. Bush’s abuse of the language, his slurring of words – and, of course, that famous smug grin on display whenever he found himself in front of a camera – gave color to the notion, eagerly adopted by his partisan critics, that the president was not up on his Proust. It came as a shock to some of them when they learned, just recently, that Bush’s grades at Yale were slightly better than those of Sen. John Kerry, whom he bested in the last presidential campaign. Apparently, both presidential candidates were indifferent students. Bush’s critics have vastly underestimated him, and they continue their folly – to their peril. Just now, the “Bush is a dummy” crowd is delig...