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May 2004 · Readings · Previous · Next

Negative capability

The following assertions were collected from public statements made by George W. Bush and his official spokesmen since 1997.

The President of the United States is not a fact-checker.

I’m not a statistician.

I’m not a numbers-cruncher.

I’m not one of these bean counters.

I’m not very analytical.

I’m not a precision guy.

The President is not a micromanager.

I’m not a member of the legislative branch.

The President is not a rubber stamp for the Congress.

I’m not a censor-guy.

I’m not a lawyer.

I’m not a doctor.

The President is not an economist.

I’m not a stockbroker or a stock-picker.

I’m not a forecaster.

I’m not a predictor.

I’m not a pollster, a poll-reader guy.

I’m not a very good prognosticator of elections.

I’m not a committee chairman.

I’m not of the Washington scene.

I’m not a lonely person.

I’m not a poet.

I’m not a very good novelist.

I’m not a textbook player.

I’m not an emailer.

I’m not a very long-winded person.

I’m not a very formal guy.

I am not a revengeful person.

I’m not an Iraqi citizen.

I’m not a divider.

I am not a unilateralist.

I’m not a tree, I’m a Bush.



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SEE ALSO: Career as U.S. president; Bush, George W.; Messages
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Archive > 2008 > Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May

MAY 2008

NUMBERS RACKET
Why the Economy Is Worse Than We Know
By Kevin Phillips

MY LOBBY, MYSELF
How John McCain's Hypocrisy Is Laundered As Reform
By Ken Silverstein

THE NEXT THING
A story by Steven Millhauser

Also: Patrick Symmes, Wendell Berry