Abooga Rooga?

posted by Matt Bivens on 05/25/2004 @ 2:07pm

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It's hard to improve upon the opening to this dry, tiny Reuters report:

Two rehearsals for his prime-time speech were not enough to keep US President George W. Bush from mangling the name of the Abu Ghraib prison that brought shame to the US mission in Iraq.

During the half-hour televised address, Bush mispronounced Abu Ghraib each of the three times he mentioned it ... English speakers usually pronounce [it] as "abu-grabe". But the Republican president ... stumbled on the first try, calling it "abugah-rayp". The second version came out "abu-garon", the third attempt sounded like "abu-garah".

White House aides, who described the speech as an important address on the future of Iraq, said Bush practiced twice on Monday before boarding his helicopter for his trip to the speaking venue ...

If you want to see it for yourself, go to the White House web page for the President's speech, and click on the video option. Start listening 20 minutes into the speech -- just at the two-thirds mark -- and all the various mangled iterations of Abu Ghraib come in quick succession.

Reuters gets it basically right. But they don't quite communicate the look of angst that grips the President's face at his first effort, which actually comes out:

"Abugah ...

[Pause; President bobs head in internal struggle to shake free third syllable; a truly anxious moment when one feels a stab of sympathy for the man, and wonders if he'll be able to pull it off;]

... rayp."

[Heavy sigh of relief. He did it! Hooray! George W. "low expectations" Bush surprises and pleases us once again. And to think he only had to practice twice beforehand!]

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Matt Bivens

Welcome to "The Daily Outrage," your last best hope to keep up with the blizzard of Bush-era bad news. Whether they're cutting down your forests, raiding your retirement funds, reading your email or shrinking your constitutional rights, the Republican (sometimes it's bipartisan) assault advances by the hour. The outrages come so fast that it's hard for even well-read citizens to stay abreast. So this column will provide you with a regular update on their doings. Pass it on.