trying to grok

If GWB was into alcohol (and supposedly, maybe drugs) in college, and got the same grades - what does that say about Kerry, too?!

Glad to see you overcoming your sadness - in a way, think of it as a tribute to Bunker when you write :-)

Making these sorts of arguments really makes you look bad.

Bush was never blamed for his stupidity due to his grades, he was blamed for his stupidity for his poor diction, his appearance (he makes a lot of facial gestures that really do look dumb), is blamed for being stupid for of making many decisions that some disagreee with (as it is with others they don't agree with), is blamed for being stupid since he wears his religion on his sleeve, and is blamed for being stupid because his responses to questions often are nearly incoherent.

It would be easy to argue with a number of those reasons listed - appearances can be deceptive, most of the great minds of history were religious men, etc. I don't agree with most of those points above (though he really is bad at answering questions without a script), I an just listing them as the actual reasons Bush is accused of being dumb.

Talking about grades is a red herring. At best you inadvertently used a debater's trick, at worst you were deliberately abusing cheap debater's tricks to score a political point. Whatever the case, the argument is disengenuous, and if you want to address people's criticism's of Bush, you should work on addressing the actual reasons, not making straw-man arguments. It doesn't matter what side of a debate you are on, abusing reason brings the discourse down, and it the opposite of trying to 'grok'.

At least Bush was smart enough to not embrace avowed enemies of his country.

My analysis of the "Kerry is smarter" assertion here:

http://photoncourier.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_photoncourier_archive.html#109422760433909117

Sheesh! You got some rather defensive reactions, didn't you, Sarah?

I just wanted to say that I'm glad you're back! And I think you're right about Bunker wanting it this way.

Kerry isn't a dog. He's a Munster.

As to Bush, I do recall his grades being quoted as proof that he was stupid, and not simply his bucolic speech. Tell you what, though, quoting his speech as proof of his lack of intelligence pissed me off to no end and showed that the left was populated by elitist bigots who look down their noses at average joes, such as myself.

Kalroy

I note that VOT has not correctly punctuated his sentences - note "people's criticism's." There's one extra possessive there, VOT. Also, you left out a verb in your last sentence.

Regardless of your grades, your poor grammar skills lead me to believe that you are an idiot. I can only guess what your facial expressions reveal.

Kerry is an idiot. You can base that on grades, facial tics and licks, or run-on sentences. He's not Lurch from the Munsters, more Mr. Howell on Gilligan's Island - a lockjaw, 'sophisticated' loser.

Oda,

I never said a thing about what grades I got in school, nor is it relevant. It looks like you didn't understand my actual point. Instead you went nitpicking about typos, and then dropped ad hominem attacks.

My point was that Sarah wasn't addressing the reasons why the Leftists call Bush dumb, and that we should be addressing their actual points instead of setting up a straw man.

Finally, I was saying that Bush *wasn't* dumb. When you came along and posited that facial expressions really do indicate intelligence, you just added credence to the Bush bashers point.

Well if Oda Mae can not remember that "Lurch" was a character on "The Addams Family" , and not "The Munsters", we must call her intellect in to question. ;-)

VOT -- I think it's revisionist to say that "Bush was never blamed for his stupidity due to his grades", because that argument has come up numerous times. One can't just say that grades aren't important now that it's been shown Kerry and Gore have the same grades.

I did some googling and quickly found some instances of Bush's grades being cited in articles about how stupid he is. (I'm sure if I dug harder, I could find even more.) See here, here, Molly Ivins' book Shrub, and here, where I hope this writer is eating major crow, since last year he said, "Does anyone in America doubt that Kerry has a higher IQ than Bush? I'm sure their SATs and college transcripts would put Kerry far ahead."

It was always assumed that Kerry was smarter than Bush, and, yes, Bush's mediocre grades were used to justify that statement. I'm aware the fact that he "looks like a chimp" is also used, but don't pretend that Bush haters didn't eat up his college transcript.

Hey Sarah,

I followed those links. You are correct. I was incorrect.

Now that I think about it, I recall that it came up more around 2000, and when Gore's grades came out the question of grades suddenly was dropped.

I know it's just one excuse of many, but it is used as one :)