George Bush - Aspie?

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It is not, as a whole, enough to form a basis for whether he has AS or not. But, it is a symptom. It is the 70% that he does not verbally say that makes me wonder, however. He is very awkward non-verbally as well as verbally.



Dyslexia relates more to the written word than the spoken word. Do you mean he has problem reading his words from the teleprompter?

... they say Eisenhower acted like a inept, fumbling fool in public but in private was a sharp calcuating fellow - the opposite. Since we are dealing with politicians I doubt we will ever know

Reminds me of the movie "Devil's Advocate". One of the devil's most useful pieces of advice was, "Never let them see ya comin', kid!...Be the little guy!" In a world filled with many (not all, of course) NT's one-degree removed from apes with clubs, it's sound advice.

More likely Williams Syndrome...

"Williams Syndrome, also known as Williams-Beuren Syndrome, is a rare genetic disorder characterized by growth delays before and after birth (prenatal and postnatal growth retardation), short stature, varying levels of mental deficiency, and distinctive facial abnormalities that typically become more pronounced with age. Characteristic facial features may include a round face, full cheeks, thick lips, a large mouth that is usually held open, and a broad nasal bridge with nostrils that flare forward (anteverted nares). Affected individuals may also have unusually short eyelid folds (palpebral fissures), flared eyebrows, a small lower jaw (mandible), and prominent ears. Dental abnormalities may also be present including abnormally small, underdeveloped teeth (hypodontia) with small, slender roots." - Source

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Does GW have a mental deficiency? That's a loaded question, I know, but there are a lot of people that disagree with him out there, but does that make a person mentally deficient? If so, does that standard apply more to GW than to other politicians?

The physical descriptions do not seem to match the president. There appears to be a pronounced physical look to Williams Syndrome from this description (I'm no expert, though). It seems more like he would have AS over Williams, IMHO... it matches more criteria.

Rewind...

I'm confused by this. If he has a lot of leadership skills, would he not have a high understanding of human behavior by nature? How can one lead humans without it? Also, doesn't the description of a his limitations understanding "social" questions practically a definition of AS? Finally, if he doesn't know where he is going, how did he get to the White House, voted there /twice/ by the American people (once that nobody can argue about)?

There is something implied in all this I'm missing. My observations of GW show me a brilliant person with very mixed signals non-verbally. Does that make me stupid, I wonder, that I don't think he is stupid? I don't see anything that people would call "stupid" in his actions, just in the way he talks, which is something that holds aspies back a lot. There are some policy things people might disagree on, but none of them are "stupid", just aligned with his party beliefs.

I'm still not convinced he can't be an aspie. He seems to be suffering the same kind of rejection we get. I grew up the nerd's nerd where it seemed everyone hated me. I can see Bush thinking the same thing. I heard he once said in a press conference, it is "Faith, Friends, and Family" that helps him get through it.

Oh God, I'm playing with political fire here, but that is another thing that confuses me. If most people voted for him, how is it that nobody defends him in public then? Is it fear of reprisal? I see a great deal of hate all throughout the Internet an on plenty of forums, but there isn't much to support that hate. It's not adding up for me and I KNOW there is something in the whole situation I'm missing -- something deeper than it appears to the casual observer. Something an NT finds obvious, I'm sure. How can anyone hate someone that much and know so little about them? Enough to override discussions and create real, palpable stife?

There was this one time (at band camp -- j/k) in 1992 where I posted something about political correctness on net news and got a death threat, so I know how dangerous political discussions can be. I just wish I knew /why/ they are so dangerous.

Gee I wonder which way this forum leans ? Wow mentioning Bush sure brings out the ugliness in people. No matter where you stand, try to be nicer.

acsdad

I like George Bush and I mostly appreciate the way that he and his wife have brought some moral standard and dignity to the office of Presidency. When Clinton was in office, I was almost ashamed to be an American. When he was re-elected, I considered suicide ( but then remembered he couldn't serve a third term.. Hooray!) I don't agree with all of Bush's actions and policies as President but it is a huge responsibility and I hate to be too critical of decisions made by people who are more apt and informed on issues than I am. There is a real hatred and cynicism out there and I don't envy any public official.

Oh, and I don't think that Bush has AS. (that was the question, wasn't it?)

Hyperbole and mockery are standard tools of political discourse. I don't think most people who talk about how much they hate George W. Bush deeply hate him. It's part of how politics works; it's the theatrical aspect of political intercourse. Can people really get so worked up over political differences? Personally, I doubt it.

After Bush was re-elected in 2004, I remember talking to other college students who were disappointed that Bush won. I talked about "giving Bush the pretzel" (remember when he choked on a pretzel while watching football on TV?) as a bit of a joke because of the dispondency during that time. Most of them were mystified that a majority of American voters preferred Bush over not Bush (i.e., Senator John F. Kerry).

Funny that I feel more ashamed to be American with Bush in power than before. I actually supported his actions immediately following September 11, 2001; but he lost that goodwill—as he did with so many other Americans. Especially alarming is his international policy; it leaves quite a bit to be desired. His neglect of moral values, compassion and responsibility, at home further isolates him and his administration from a large sector of Americans. In the scheme of things, the reasons for going to war, his domestic policy for less well-off members of our society, and his willingness to accept responsibility and adjust policy to changing reality reflect a morally bankrupt administration, in my opinion—something worse than President Clinton's personal infidelities.

I'm uncomfortable with people being "ashamed" of being American because of who's in the Oval Office. I'm as proud today as I was when Clinton was in office. I voted for Bush twice but I'm not an apologist for him. Saying you are "ashamed" just feeds anti-Americanism. Be proud of where you're from no matter where that is.

No way Bush is an Aspie BTW.

RC

Like it or not, the U.S. federal government is the public face of the United States of America abroad. It acts collectively for all the citizens of this country. Since I find so many of the actions of the U.S. government these days morally reprehensible—because of actions I consider beyond the pale of mere political difference of opinion—I am ashamed that these people represent my fellow Americans and myself.

I generally do not think it's a good thing for the nation when some of its most senior members of Congress and highest ranking administration officials are involved in abuses of power, scandal and corruption, extremely bad judgment, and invading a foreign country under false pretenses. It's not that I consider Democrats to be saints—I actually think the Democrats could do much better as a political party—but I find the lack of morality among those in power right now to be at an extreme, and it's more serious than sexual impropriety.

Okay, this helps me quite a bit. By overwhelming consensus, GW cannot be an aspie. The reason being, after separating the signal from the noise, is that his social skills are too well developed. I have to take your word for it; to me, he seems to have trouble with his body language, but so do I and I'm not qualified to judge his body language as good or bad by nature.

It just demonstrates to me again my tone-deafness. *sigh*