Dubya's constant use of the phrase: "And, ah...." should be pointed out to him...
I have a special interest in this phrase "And , ah..." because I had a teacher once who would viciously attack anyone in class who said...."And, ah"... or "Ya Know"..for any reason.
Of course using "And ah" ...is a really defense mechanism for most people which implies: "I'm trying to think of what to say next..."
Still, "And ah"....might be charming enough for a schoolboy to use... But for a President it's...well, a problem. Why does he do that? Is it a cognitive impairment? A speech problem? A mental "tabula rosa"....exposed? Sometimes, you can almost "see" him losing his train of thought...as if he's trying to "visualize" himself talking...instead of "just talking..."
With Dubya this is especially a problem since many people believe that he is unqualified for the job...and that he is really some kind of uncurious dolt...who used his name and family connections to become President.
Of course the White House calls Dubya's "and, ah...." habit, and his current bizarre "hillbilly twang talkin" style"---Plain Speaking."
Well, maybe...to some people.
But for a lot of us it's just a distrubing reminder of how unqualified and uncurious this man really is...or appears to be.
My suggestions to Dubya's speech writers and handlers would be to mention this little "And, ah" problem to him...and perhaps have him substitute some other phrase....maybe something like:
"Bye, Cracky....!"
Ya know.....?
And, ah....
