The top verbal blunders of 2006

TAVARES, Fla., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Calling the Internet a "series of tubes" earned U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens mention on MegaGenius.com's fourth annual list of Stupidest Statements.

The dubious honors are given to public figures for the most baffling statements of the year. The Web site describes Mr. Mega Genius as "the man with the perfect IQ" who distributes the annual prizes for "crash-and-burn lapses in intelligence."

Stevens, R-Alaska, was debating network neutrality when he used his "tube" analogy. It garnered a lot of attention he probably didn't appreciate -- including from the MegaGenius writers.

Also on the list was Guy Fournier, displaced chairman of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., who insinuated Lebanese men were legally permitted to practice bestiality.

U.S. President George W. Bush made the list by stumbling his way through an answer about Iraq and then asking, "Did I just say those words?"

Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley also made the list.

The complete list is available at megagenius.com.