Why I have to vote for Shrub

In the lexicon of Bushisms it may one day make it to the top of the pile.

The American president added to his reputation as a gaffe-prone public speaker yesterday by declaring that the White House was doing everything it could to harm the United States.

Although many an opponent may agree with the sentiment, the statement was made in all seriousness at the signing ceremony for a $417bn defence spending bill.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," George Bush told an audience of military brass and Pentagon chiefs. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

The Associated Press reported that there appeared to be no reaction from the audience.

The latest gaffe will add to anti-Bush paraphernalia hunters' collections of errors, mistakes and back-firing jokes. These included the declaration that "more and more of our imports come from overseas", and the observation that "it's clearly a budget; it's got a lot of numbers in it".

The latest muddle followed another Bush absurdity on Wednesday, when he was pictured trying to eat an ear of raw sweetcorn given to him by a farmer in Iowa.

But Mr Bush's idiosyncrasies are not necessarily an electoral burden. Some believe his folksy delivery and verbal solecisms play well with ordinary Americans wary of slick rhetoric and gilded vocabulary.

The White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said his master's latest slip "just shows even the most straightforward and plain-spoken people misspeak."

Be honest with yourself: Is there any way we can live without this? It's like having a walking, nationally televised primer for kids on how not to speak English.