George W. Bush

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Bush's upbringing in [[West Texas]], his accent, his [[United States Presidential vacations|vacations]] on his Texas ranch, and his penchant for country metaphors contribute to his folksy, American cowboy image.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/08/halberstam200708 |title=The History Boys |first=David |last=Halberstam |author-link=David Halberstam |work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date=July 3, 2007 |access-date=January 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111195622/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2968176.stm |archive-date=January 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="BBCcowboy">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2968176.stm |title=Bush revels in cowboy speak |work=BBC News |access-date=January 28, 2009 |date=June 6, 2003 |first=Kathryn |last=Westcott |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919045657/http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/08/halberstam200708 |archive-date=September 19, 2008 }}</ref> "I think people look at him and think [[John Wayne]]", said [[Piers Morgan]], editor of the British ''[[Daily Mirror]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/01/30/europe.bush.rodgers.otsc |title={{-'}}John Wayne' president has critics|first=Walter|last=Rodgers|publisher=CNN|access-date=January 28, 2009|date=January 30, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907203320/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/01/30/europe.bush.rodgers.otsc|archive-date=September 7, 2008}}</ref>

Bush has been [[Parody|parodied]] by the media,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/19/AR2006081900568_pf.html |title=Pundits Renounce The President |access-date=September 1, 2008 |last=Baker |first=Peter |date=August 20, 2006 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> comedians, and other politicians.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bush gets bad rap on intelligence |url=http://faculty.csbsju.edu/uspp/Election/bush011401.htm |first=Aubrey |last=Immelman |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=January 14, 2001 |newspaper=The St. Cloud Times |archive-date=April 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415015600/http://faculty.csbsju.edu/uspp/Election/bush011401.htm }}</ref> Detractors tended to cite linguistic errors made by Bush during his public speeches, which are colloquially referred to as [[Bushism]]s.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jacob |last1=Weisberg |first2=Bryan |last2=Curtis |url=http://politics.slate.msn.com/Features/bushisms/bushisms.asp |title=The Complete Bushisms |access-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-date=October 24, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011024013713/http://politics.slate.msn.com/Features/bushisms/bushisms.asp |date=August 24, 2001 |work=Slate }}</ref>

In contrast to his father, who was perceived as having troubles with an overarching unifying theme, Bush embraced larger visions and was seen as a man of larger ideas and associated huge risks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/12/politics/12LETT.html |title=Bush Gets 'Vision Thing' and Embraces Big Risks |access-date=October 9, 2009 |work=The New York Times |first=Elisabeth |last=Bumiller |date=January 12, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513191210/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/12/politics/12LETT.html |archive-date=May 13, 2011 }}</ref>

[[Tony Blair]] wrote in 2010 that the caricature of Bush as being dumb is "ludicrous" and that Bush is "very smart".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Blair |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Blair |date=September 2, 2010 |access-date=October 27, 2010 |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2015409-2,00.html |title=Tony Blair on Clinton, Bush and the American Character Time September 2, 2010 |magazine=Time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905172447/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2015409-2,00.html |archive-date=September 5, 2010 }}</ref> In an interview with ''[[Playboy]]'', ''The New York Times'' columnist [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]] said Bush "was 60 IQ points smarter in private than he was in public. He doesn't want anybody to think he's smarter than they are, so puts on a Texas act."<ref name="rogers2012">{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Jenny |title=David Brooks praises Bush, dings Maher in Playboy interview |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/david-brooks-praises-bush-dings-maher-in-playboy-interview/article/509826 |access-date=May 8, 2015 |work=Washington Examiner |date=April 19, 2012}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2020}}