Even after almost three years and two wars, the degree of popular preoccupation with George Bush's mental abilities is extra-ordinary. The way the Bush Administration wields its formidable power is, of course, vastly more important than the wits of the individual who happens to be its front man. Yet the stupidity thing is so pervasive in popular discussion, particularly outside the US, that we really need to deal with it to even begin to approach the real significance of the W presidency....

The Republicans used to chide Bill Clinton for being 'fundraiser-in-chief'. Bush makes Clinton look like a beginner. ...

One of the best-aimed insults is that Bush "was born on third base, and he thinks he hit a triple". His birthright has kept him aloof from many of the realities of his people. ...

But it's a serious mistake to be distracted by these personal foibles. For one thing, Bush is not, despite all evidence to the contrary, an idiot. ...

The actions of the Bush White House show that it seeks, above all, to structurally strengthen the Republican Party at the structural expense of its Democrat opponents. That is, the Bush Administration is working to permanently entrench the Republican Party in power. And in a close parallel, Bush's foreign policy is working to impose a new vision of permanent US global domination.