I read Mark Crispin Miller's The Bush Dyslexicon recently, and it's appaling. His argument isn't that Bush is just a big dumbass - it's much scarier than that. He argues that Bush is helped enormously by TV to create an image of himself as a "leader," and that all the focus on the stupid ways he's said things (and there are many of them) is actually bad because the focus should be on the content of what he's saying. When you look at the content, it's unbelievable. He regularly responded to questions - in televised shows - about foreign policy with statements such as this: "I really don't [have a take on Vladimir Putin]. I will if I'm the president." Well, good, we should fucking hope so. Maybe, like the other candidates, you should have one before you're elected, so we can decide whether we like yours better.

God, there's just so much more people should know about him, other than the pundits' repeated declarations that he's a real damn likeable guy. If you're interested, start by reading this book.