Someone get this man a tutor

[Disclaimer: I struggle to stay as apathetic as possible. But sometimes things force me to take sides.]

President Bush is illiterate. He has to be. There is no other way you can explain this.

Here is what I read:

The Iraq conflict has become the cause célèbre for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.

Here is the Bushie’s take:

Mr. Bush used the news conference to reassert his view that the Iraq war was not to blame for the growth of Islamic radicalism.

Again, this is what I read:

Four underlying factors are fueling the spread of the jihadist movement: (1) entrenched grievances, such as corruption, injustice, and fear of Western domination, leading to anger, humiliation, and a sense of powerlessness; (2) the Iraq jihad; (3) the slow pace of real and sustained economic, social, and political reforms in many Muslim majority nations; and (4) pervasive anti-U.S. sentiment among most Muslims — all of which jihadists exploit.

And here’s the former Texas Rangers owner’s take:

“You know, to suggest that if we weren’t in Iraq we would see a rosier scenario, with fewer extremists joining the radical movement, requires us to ignore 20 years of experience.”

Something else I read:

Countering the spread of the jihadist movement will require coordinated multilateral efforts that go well beyond operations to capture or kill terrorist leaders.

Former Texas Governor’s interpretation:

“My judgment is: The only way to protect this country is to stay on the offense.”

He’s the president. He did get this document, right? At least someone must have told him about it? No? Can someone get a memo afloat in the White House, see if you can go over this with him? Maybe explain what the words on the page are saying? It seems kind of important. I’m confused.

He also attributed the disclosure of some of the assessment findings to [...] government officials leaking classified information to “create confusion in the minds of the American people” weeks before an important Congressional election.

No shit.