d more to his inherited wealth and the reputation of the Bush family. Some presidents with patrician backgrounds, notably Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, proved to be outstanding leaders of the nation, but each of them, T.R. through his lifelong battle against ill-health in childhood and his exuberant personality, and FDR through his struggle to overcome the effects of polio, fell squarely within the American tradition of lifting up oneself by one's own bootstraps. John Kennedy had benefitted from his father's wealth but was a certifiable war hero in his own right. Bush in contrast had not been particularly successful in the oil business and had basically been saved from failure by the family fortune. He had overcome a serious drinking problem in the 1980s but this conduct bore resemblance to the irresponsible behavior of many rich scions who were afforded a second chance that ordinary persons lacked. During the Republican presidential primaries, Senator John McCain, who came from a celebrated naval family, tapped into the nation's tendency to identify with war heroes and captivated many with his 'straight talk.' Bush appeared to overcome McCain largely because his efforts were better financed.
Bush's engaging personality emerged during the presidential campaign debates where his personal warmth and self-deprecating humor contrasted favorably with Vice President Albert Gore's seemingly arrogant and stiff presentational style. At the same time, Bush's appeal as the type of person with whom one would like to socialize led many to conclude that he was fairly ordinary. This impression was buttressed by Bush's tendency to utter malapropisms such as "more and more of our imports come from overseas" (What 7). His clumsy Bushisms together with his unabashed admissions that he had little interest in the world of ideas and his inability to pronounce the names of some foreign leaders reinforced his image as a man of limited brain power and i...