Vigil StarGazer Posted September 9, 2009 Report Posted September 9, 2009 http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/p...egook-poll.aspx George W. Bush tops English gobbledegook poll Posted: September 09, 2009, 4:02 PM by Karen Hawthorne World, U.S. Politics Agence France Presse LONDON—Former U.S. president George W. Bush topped a poll of the worst examples of mangled English released Wednesday, followed closely by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Rumsfeld. Former French football star Eric Cantona and former U.S. president Bill Clinton also produced prime examples of gobbledegook, according to the online poll of 4,000 people inspired by the Plain English Campaign. Bush romped to the top accolade for his: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” Second came Hollywood star-turned-California governor Schwarzenegger, who during an election campaign in 2003 declared: “I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman.” The rest of the top 10 in the poll, commissioned by an insurance company after it won an award from the Plain English Campaign, were: - 3. Rumsfeld, in February, 2002: “Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns: the ones we don’t know we don’t know.” - 4. Murray Walker, motor racing commentator: “The lead car is absolutely unique, except for the one behind it which is identical.” - 5. John Motson, football commentator: “For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are playing in yellow.” - 6. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, explaing budget plans to lawmakers in July this year: “Total spending will continue to rise and it will be a zero percent rise in 2013-14.” - 7. Clinton, in 1998 grand jury testimony about Monica Lewinsky: “It depends upon what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is. If ‘is’ means ‘is and never has been’ that’s one thing — if it means ‘there is none’, that was a completely true statement.” - 8. Cantona, 1995: “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it’s because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.” - 9. Bush, July, 2001: “I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.” - 10. London mayor Boris Johnson, on British satirical gameshow “Have I Got News for You” in 2003: “I could not fail to disagree with you less.” George W. Bush headed back to Canada (Photo: George W. Bush. Credit: Tim Sloan, AFP/Getty Images)
Appy Posted September 10, 2009 Report Posted September 10, 2009 And you know what? I could believe that that first Bush quote wasn't gobblecook but him saying something he wasn't actually supposed to say in public, but wich was on his mind a lot nonetheless.
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