Jacob Weisberg is famous for collecting Bushisms – what he refers to as “the accidental wit and wisdom” of our current president.  But he doesn’t mean it.  Well, he means the accidental part.

These appear in SLATE.COM – the full SLATE collection is here  - and these have been collected and expanded in several volumes.

This appeared mid-week -

Bushism of the Day

Posted Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005, at 11:26 AM PT  SLATE.COM

"I want to appreciate those of you who wear our nation's uniform for your sacrifice." - Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 14, 2005

I’m sure he does.

From a friend in Canada – “Sounds like a warning about his second-term plans to me.”

From a friend in Atlanta –

Sounds to me like a truncated thought.  Maybe what he really wanted to say was this: "I want to appreciate those of you who wear our nation's uniform for your sacrifice ... but to tell you the truth, I just can't seem to do it.  After all, what is there to appreciate?  I once wore that uniform myself, and I didn't sacrifice diddly!"

Ah well.

Four more years.

Consider also these classics Weisberg has collected -

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the—the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice."—Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2003

"Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace."—Washington, D.C., July 25, 2003

"Do you have blacks, too?"—To Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001

"It's important for us to explain to our nation that life is important. It's not only life of babies, but it's life of children living in, you know, the dark dungeons of the Internet."—Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000

"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things."—Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"I recently met with the finance minister of the Palestinian Authority, was very impressed by his grasp of finances."—Washington, D.C., May 29, 2003

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself."—Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003

''I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe—I believe what I believe is right."—Rome, July 22, 2001

"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."—Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

Four more years.