Bush's "Commander Guy" comment misread (similar to Kerry 'gaffe' last fall)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

I read a couple comments on some boards defending Bush's mangling of the English language yesterday when he said "I'm the Commander guy", and I have to agree with them that it wasn't quite what it appears on the surface. In the context of what he said, it's clear he wasn't saying "I'm the Commander guy" as in "I'm the decider", as per the NYTimes' Sheryl Gay Stolberg but rather what he meant was: The policy in Iraq should be decided by the generals (commanders) on the ground in Iraq, as opposed to congress, and this makes him a "Commander Guy" rather than a "Congress Guy".

full Bush quote was:

“The question is, ‘Who ought to make that decision, the Congress or the commanders?,’’ Mr. Bush said. “As you know, my position is clear – I’m the commander guy.”

The reason I trouble to discuss this is that it is fun to see the tables turned on the very same people who attacked John Kerry for his "stuck in Iraq" comment widely misinterpreted as a putdown of the troops, when in fact the full context of Kerry's words made it clear that he was referring to Bush.

[booley]

1. I think you are forgetting

irony is lost on Cons.

These are the same people who use Clinton to justify what they do now (forget if Clinton actually did do anything like what they do now)..

And they wanted to IMPEACH Clinton.

[zbdent]

12. no ... at the time ... they claimed he was making shi* up to take attention

away from his dalliances ...

[Tom Joad]

2. I first took it as meaning something similar to "I'm the decider" but it still sounds

but once again Bush is having a very difficult time attempting to express an idea.

Sounds like a clown guy talking.

[louis-t]

3. Why does the simian shithead always need translators?

[lyonn]

9. Exactly - - all he had to do was leave of f the "guy" part

He told us exactly what he meant. He is making the rules, not the military commanders.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I hadn't even thought of it that way...

I thought he was referring to "commander in chief," as he IS the commander in chief (in his mind anyway). If he had said I am A commander guy, it would have been more clear that he was referring to support for the generals in the field.

[riderinthestorm]

5. Sorry, but Commander Cuckoo-Bananas he is and always will be.

The close similarity to Homer Simpson's nick for The Commander Guy ensures that this will be one nickname that's gonna stick.

[Virginia Dare]

6. Either way, he's still the stupid guy...n/t

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. You mean "The Stupid Guy"

Yes of course he is, but I realize now since I posted that he should have said "I'm A Commander Guy", singular.
He's a doofus of mighty proportions.

[Virginia Dare]

15. It's okay, you're just trying to keep it real..

pretty hard in such an unreal world.

[wordpix]

8. still the Monkey King Chimp-in-Chief to me!

[highplainsdem]

10. But he didn't say what you suggested he meant.

this makes him a "Commander Guy" rather than a "Congress Guy".

He said "THE commander guy." Not "A commander guy."

If he had said "A commander guy" then I'd agree with you.

I think what Kerry meant with his joke was clear from the context, which was usually omitted when the story was repeated.

What Bush meant is less clear, but given his exact choice of wording, and how often he's reminded people "I'm the commander in chief," I really don't think he meant he was just "a commander guy" meaning one of a number of people who thought the commanders in Iraq should make the decisions.

[lapfog_1]

13. Yes, that is correct...

he meant to say "I'm a Commander guy" or even better "I'm with the Commanders" or "I choose to follow the Commanders rather than the Congress" or any number of variations. However, his narcissistic megalomania would not allow him such passive language as "I'm with the Commanders"... no, his mental defects insist on HIM being in charge and in the middle, hence "I'm the Decider" and "I'm THE Commander Guy" elevating his role.

So it's correct for the rest of us to deride him for his choice of words.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

14. Yes you're right and I caught that

only after I posted. But let's be fair. He's a special needs speaker who needs to be interpreted by experts.
Of course on the other hand, it could also have been a Freudian slip by the magalomaniac.

[El Supremo]

11. I have to agree. Watch the clip>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSVfwDwrlBE