I don’t think it would be particularly controversial to call George Bush, Jr. somewhat less than brilliant. But the odd thing about him is that he felt compelled to act dumber that he actually was. He was smart enough to stumble through Ivy League schools, which implies he was at least above-average. But he put on a silly “poor ol’ Texas boy what ain’t got no fancy city-boy edgy-cation” affectation.

Now your average doctor can excuse Bush, Jr. by telling himself, “The ‘Good Ol’ Boy’ shtick is for the rubes, Bush, Jr. has actually had a quality education. He’s just using it to get elected, whereafter he will spend his rare work hours pushing through laws designed to transfer wealth from the filth to the deserving rich.”

Fair enough. But to what else does this sort of play-acting give rise?

Obviously oblivious morons like Christine O’Donnell and the clearly deranged Michele Bachmann come to mind. Today, I saw a quote from Representative Joe Barton (R-TX): “Wind is a finite resource and harnessing it would slow the winds down which would cause temperatures to go up.”

Faux morons like Bush, Jr. give rise to real morons like Joe Barton.