Paul Begala calls Bush a 'high-functioning moron'

With the days of the Bush presidency dwindling, and yet one more crisis ramping up, the talk is getting hot on the TV circuit.

Paul Begala, the television commentator and Democratic strategist who with James Carville propelled Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992, knew he was about to get into trouble on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" show Thursday night with his description of President Bush.

He said as much as soon as he opened his mouth.

Still, with a panel that included Ed Rollins, the Republican strategist who ran Ronald Reagan's 1984 reelection campaign, he blurted it out:

I'm going to get in trouble. He's a high-functioning moron, and that's what Congress treats him as. Both parties.

To be sure, the panelists were egging each other on:

COOPER: "Watching the president last night give that speech, it was like watching him in Jackson Square in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I mean, he did not seem to be there."

ROLLINS: "No, he wasn't there."

GLORIA BORGER: "He's not comfortable — "

COOPER: "He was physically there but — "

At which point Begala chimed in.

And lit up the Web — from the liberal DailyKos site ("one of the most awesome moments in the history of cable news") to the conservative Media Research Center's NewsBusters ("What is it with Democrats and their grotesque slurs upon the intelligence of their political rivals?").

— James Gerstenzang

Comments

[Chad]

An absolute insult to morons everywhere.

[Monica Clinton]

The good news? The 39 people who saw this idiot spew were all drunk anyway. Paul has a face for radio, a voice for magazines, and the class of a two dollar whore.

[Wayne]

I am a U of Texas grad as is Begala. What a shame this moron is a Longhorn. He's a joke to the folks on the 40 acres in Austin.

[David Theiss]

I disagree with Begala. Even a moron wouldn't have started a war with a country that posed no threat to us whatsoever; looked the other way while rapacious pirates destroyed the monetary system; and encouraged every class of major polluter to continue their destruction of the planet. Perhaps, Satan's spawn would be more appropriate.

[Mark]

William, your opinion that we should "respect" the president, no matter who he is, is part of the problem.

Do you also agree that Sarah Palin should receive "deference" from reporters, as was requested by her campaign manager?

We declared independence from England for a reason.

[druid.dude]

"Moron means an IQ between 51 and 70. President Bush's IQ was measured at 124 in his Air Force Reserve days."

I don't doubt that Bush has on IQ of 124. George W. also has an MBA from Harvard. However, when I went to college, some of the best academics had the least amount of common sense. An IQ test measures how well someone will score on an IQ test, not their intellectual capacity.

[dave]

@William Bailer:

It is indeed an extremely crass comment for prime time tv.

It is also an indication of how deeply this president has fallen that people don't even bother to be civil about him anymore.

It was Bush's respect to lose and he has done anything and everything possible to lose the respect of the people. This man has literally done -nothing- that hasn't damaged the US in some form or other. He has turned out to be someone who will be exemplified as the text book definition of bad leadership.

The people didn't want Al Gore, because he was boring. They wanted sparky instead. How's that working out for all y'all back in Bumfuck Alabama and sundry red states?

Bush is treated with contempt because that is precisely what he deserves. Any regime can get away with anything until they cross that ephemeral, invisible border where it has simply been too much. That moment has now come.

The comment was rude and disrespectful, it's true. How rude and disrespectful is it to propose a plan that saddles -every- American, every single one, with the debts run up by the people who are happy to keep their profits to themselves and make no bones about sharing their losses with everyone? Does the American people not deserve the same respect they claim for themselves?

[Steve Wimer]

Bush may be high, but functioning? That's a matter for serious discussion. Bush's policies have driven our country to its lowest state since the civil war. I certainly hope he is prosecuted for his crimes against our country, whatever they may be, and I'm sure plenty of charges against him could be brought. How people continue to respect him after all those lies is beyond reason.

[steve]

Bush looked like a scared little boy during his speech. This guy is supposed to inspire confidence and instead he did the opposite. But I am not one of the
"morons" who voted for him in 2000 and 2004.

Let's just hope this country is not so misguided as to elect another Republican
like McCain to "lead" us.

The only place McCain will lead us is into the poorhouse, with 30 more years in
Iraq and a war with Iran.

[Marcel Wittfeld]

I strongly disagree with Mr. Begala. There is nothing "high-functioning" about that moron and his politics...

[Piotr Orloff]

So 124 is like a senior in college. Big deal. Sounds like a duck, walks like a duck...

[Toy]

Wat was said about this particular president is reflected in many people in this country.

As has been mentioned, this guy "wasn't the first to say it", now was he the first to think it.

There's been no reason to think otherwise after his performance during the last 7 2/3 years.

[Michael]

Who in their right mind considers Bush "high functioning"?

[eli]

well, Begala didn't say anything new here. the whole world knows that and calls him that way. It is just the first time someone actually says this in the US! for everyone to hear. We all know, Bush is an intellectual lightweight...sadly, their are so many ( who now call the term moron as disrespectful) who identify with the presidents intellectual capacity...it's the 80/20 ratio at play. So, we wonder why we dont get the respect we think we deserve?

[Scy]

PERFECT!

[Harold]

I really question the "score" for this performing moron. I am sure the people who did the scoring were the ones who also kept his attendance records from his university (boozing days) and his absentee reserve duties.
How can a ghost get scored or be in attendance?
It was being polite to refer to our president as a "high functioning moron"-
he is not "high" in anything except in imagining invisible weapons of mass destruction.

[Jeff]

Since when is Begala a reporter? I thought he was just a political hack who sells himself to the highest bidder to lie enough to win them public office?
He could learn a thing or two from "high functioning morons" who actually have held real jobs.

[Rudy]

Calling Bush a moron is a compliment compared to what I could say if permitted to say it.

[Keith]

It only took 8 years, but someone finally speaks what everyone knows about our current president. Of course, little good this does in the public court of opinion after Bush has defecated on the majority of Americans with needless war, wreckless foreign policies and heralding an economic disaster. To continue to say otherwise is to effectively shut your eyes tight, clamp your hands on your ears while shouting NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH repeatedly to drown out the rational majority.

[mrsbrown]

Begala forgot to mention that Bush is also a murderer. A liar. A thief. and , as far as many Americans are concerned, he is not, and never has been, the President of the United States.

[Michael]

Life in America under the Bush presidency has been a fairy tale--"The Emperor's New Clothes." Begala simply arrived at the point of saying in a very public forum what the vast majority of people in this country say in private. Unfortunately, Begala's honest assessment of this sad man comes too late. Irreparable damage has already been done. Think of all that blood spilled in the desert of Iraq and think again whether we shouldn't have faced the truth about Bush and his criminality years ago.

[asher hawke]

once Palin was made a possible heir to the thrown, all talk about 'we can't say things like this about the President' was no longer valid.

[shekib]

i have called him a moron since he was voted in and we are doing america a disservice by calling him high functioning moron....hes more of a non functioning moron...

[Bozo]

Very disrespectful, especially coming from the person who helped elect Bill Clinton. It is shameful how Begala, Stephanopolos, etc. covered up Clinton's sexual and criminal activities until he became President.

My grandmother used to say that when you point one finger at someone else, you are pointing three fingers at yourself. Begala, shame on you!

[Valerie]

I agree; however, high functioning moron is too nice.