*Ø* Blogmanac | Abu boo-boo: President tortures the name of shame

"Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Two rehearsals for his prime-time speech were not enough to keep George Bush from mangling the name of the prison outside Baghdad that has brought shame to the US mission in Iraq.

"During the half-hour televised address, the President mispronounced Abu Ghraib each of the three times he mentioned it, while announcing plans to tear down the infamous jail.

"The prison, the scene of torture under Saddam Hussein and the US military, has a name that English speakers usually pronounce as 'abu-grabe'.

"But Mr Bush, long known for verbal and grammatical lapses, stumbled on the first try, calling it 'abugah-rayp'. The second version came out 'abu-garon', and the third attempt sounded like 'abu-garah'.

"White House aides said Mr Bush had practised his speech twice before boarding his helicopter to deliver the address.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Thanx to the eagle-eyed Baz le Tuf.