Seriously, can you imagine what would have happened if a normal, otherwise competent president of the United States declared offhandedly that he believed World War III began in 2001:

US President George W. Bush said the September 11 revolt of passengers against their hijackers on board Flight 93 had struck the first blow of “World War III.”

In an interview with the financial news network CNBC, Bush said he had yet to see the recently released film of the uprising, a dramatic portrayal of events on the United Airlines plane before it crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

But he said he agreed with the description of David Beamer, whose son Todd died in the crash, who in a Wall Street Journal commentary last month called it “our first successful counter-attack in our homeland in this new global war — World War III.”

Bush said: “I believe that. I believe that it was the first counter-attack to World War III.”

Does he ever give a thought to what comes out of his mouth? He’s either reading (badly) from a prepared script or spouting off nonsense like this.