Phony baloney chimp: "Has Bush lost his twang?"

Though known for his disdain of highfalutin speech, some observers think Bush's public utterances have grown more formal, even literary.

The Election Past, President's Message Gets a New Accent
His Speech Gains Precision, Even French References; Trying to 'Turn the Page'
---------
By JOHN D. MCKINNON Staff Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON (March 21) - At a late-afternoon Paris news conference in May 2002, a jet-lagged President Bush rushed through sentences, mangled some words and teased an American journalist for asking President Jacques Chirac a question in French. Asked about street demonstrations protesting his presence, Mr. Bush drawled: "The only thing I know to do is speak my mind.... A lotta people on the Continent o' Europe appreciate that."

Last month, addressing European leaders in Brussels, Mr. Bush spoke precisely, with only traces of his twang. He paid homage to the Continent's political legacy, such as the Magna Carta, and flawlessly pronounced the name of Albert Camus.

Linguists and longtime watchers of Mr. Bush say it is evidence of a subtle but unmistakable change the 43rd president has undergone in speaking style. He is enunciating more clearly and dotting his remarks with more literary references. Gone is much of the verbal swagger, which produced such memorable first-term phrases as "bring 'em on" (said of Iraqi insurgents) and "dead or alive" (said of catching Osama bin Laden). Some linguists even say they detect a dialing-down of Mr. Bush's Texas accent, at least in his formal speeches.

The more careful speaking style also has meant fewer verbal slip-ups. Jacob Weisberg, who filled four books, numerous Web entries and a calendar series with Bush malapropisms, says his supply of new material has slowed to a trickle. "In a press conference in his first year I might get five" bloopers, says Mr. Weisberg, who is editor of Slate, the online magazine. "Now I'm pretty lucky if I get one or two."


http://online.wsj.com/public/page/0,,public_home_search,00.html
(subscriber link)

They probably upped his antidepressant and put him on the slow release Adderall.

As a native Texan I spotted his faux Texas accent long ago.

"accent" kind of wandered all over the west and south, but it wasn't Texan as I knew it.

acting like the Yalie he is, instead of the goober the people who vote for him think he is.

what a bunch of asswipes.

them up thar in wash'ton done fancied up dubya,

he warn't nuthin but an ol' texas armadiller til them hi-falootin pollytishun schooled 'im up.

righhtttt.

He doesn't have to pretend he's a good ole boy from Texas and can slip into who he really is:
an uber-wealthy, elitist, rich frat boy from Yale.

in "B" westerns back in the forties and fifties. There isn't any real regional accent there but it's sort of western sounding.