U.S. President George W. Bush
a big winner at World Stupidity Awards
NELSON WYATT
Updated at 21:53 on July 23, 2004, EST.
MONTREAL
(CP) - The November elections may still be ahead of him but
U.S. President George W. Bush came out a big winner Friday -
at the World Stupidity Awards.
Bush was a dominating presence at the second edition of the
awards presented at the Just for Laughs comedy festival. An
advance list of the winners was obtained by The Canadian Press.
Bush took the Stupidest Man of the Year Award and for the second
time in the history of the two-year-old awards won the Stupidity
Award for Reckless Endangerment of the Planet.
Bush didn't take the category alone, however, and tied with
British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The controversial Texan president shared in two other awards
as the United States was noted for having the Stupidest Government
of the Year.
"What was interesting about that is that the decision was made
overwhelmingly by Americans who voted," said Albert Nerenberg,
of the Main Organization Revealing Obvious Numbskulls which
organizes the awards.
Nominations and voting took place at the organization's online
site, except for the lifetime achievement award which is settled
by the judges.
The nominations were judged by experts in their fields - "a
bunch of idiots" and overseen by the Academy for Recognizing
Stupidity Everywhere.
Stupidest Statement of the Year was Bush's pronouncement that
"combat operations have ended in Iraq," where fighting still
rages more than a year after the U.S.-led invasion to topple
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Though he is facing war crimes charges in his home country after
being captured by U.S. forces, Saddam can take solace in the
Lifetime Achievement Award for Stupidity, which was bestowed
on him Friday.
He was not present to receive the award.
Iraq and the conservative right in the United States figured
heavily in the awards, which declared Fox's The O'Reilly Factor
the Stupidest TV Show and gave Fox News the nod for Media Outlet
Which Has Made the Greatest Contribution to Furthering Ignorance
Worldwide.
Also, Stupidest Woman of the Year was U.S. soldier Pte. Lyndie
England, who became notorious after pictures were published
of her allegedly abusing Arab prisoners in a Baghdad military
prison. She is facing charges.
Cast members from Survivor: All Stars - runner-up Boston Rob
Cesternino, Kathy O'Brien and Shii Ann Huang - gave the award
for stupidest trend, which was trucker hats.
Stupidest Act of the Year went to Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin,
who cradled his baby while feeding a crocodile, an act which
sparked a storm of protest.
Gigli, considered one of the worst movies of the year and an
albatross for stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, tied with
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ as Stupidest Movie. The
tie was to be broken by audience members at the Friday night
event.
Although Canada was shut out, Nerenberg said it was a banner
year for stupidity.
"It was a stupendous year for stupidity," he said.
*2004 SaskTel/DirectWest
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