INSIDE THE SYSTEM

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White House proves stupidity contagious

GEORGE W. Bush may be the dumbest guy in the White House, but he’s not alone. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the president was meeting with religious leaders "to talk about the importance of tolerism, er, tolerance."

Later, when Fleischer repeated the nonword--"tolerism"--he started to sweat. Fleischer rushed to defend the president’s vocabulary and quell any speculation.

"Don’t think what you all are thinking," squealed Fleischer. "That was my word. Stop it!"

--Washington Post, September 20, 2001
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