debbyski - Unfortunately, I don't have the links handy, but if you look around a bit on the web, there are tapes of Bush giving speeches when he was running for Governor of Texas, and the difference is so far beyond night and day it's not even funny. In those speeches, he appeared to be professional, was able to state his beliefs and answer questions in such a way that he not only sounded intelligent and reasonably well-educated, but it wasn't hard at all to figure out what he was meaning. He was alert, and never slipped into that god-awful "down home folksy guy" persona he uses so much now. He didn't come across as nearly as smug as he does now. It is, quite seriously, like watching an ...

debbyski - Unfortunately, I don't have the links handy, but if you look around a bit on the web, there are tapes of Bush giving speeches when he was running for Governor of Texas, and the difference is so far beyond night and day it's not even funny. In those speeches, he appeared to be professional, was able to state his beliefs and answer questions in such a way that he not only sounded intelligent and reasonably well-educated, but it wasn't hard at all to figure out what he was meaning. He was alert, and never slipped into that god-awful "down home folksy guy" persona he uses so much now. He didn't come across as nearly as smug as he does now. It is, quite seriously, like watching an ENTIRELY different person.

I've heard a lot of people talk about how maybe his drug use had taken its toll, but doesn't most damage occur closer in time to the actual usage and as time goes on, the effects lessen? *If* that's the case, then either he's been continuing to use drugs during his governorship and presidency, OR there's something else going on other than brain damage from drug use. If, however, drug damage *can* take so many years to manifest, then you can just kinda throw out this whole paragraph.

In any even, Bush used to be *CONSIDERABLY* more articulate than he is now. It's really sad to see.