Friday, November 17, 2006

The Name's Bush, George W. Bush

"With ‘Casino Royale’, we’ve not only got a new Bond, we’ve also got a new approach to the genre. It’s revisionist. It’s going back to the roots of Bond’s character."
- James Chapman, author of "License to Thrill"


All of Washington, D. C. is abuzz with excitement. This January marks the opening of a new political season with a new George Bush. And once again that signature phrase will echo across the nation’s capital: "The name’s Bush, George W. Bush."

Bush watchers have long been waiting to see which role the man would adopt in light of the recent midterm election results. Some, of course, are fans of his early work, such pre-9/11 performances as the compassionate conservative Bush and the "I’m a uniter, not a divider" Bush.

Many more, however, are partial to the post-9/11 actor. These are the folks who cherish those great Bush roles like the fighter pilot in "Mission Accomplished", the ardent unilateralist in "Weapons of Mass Destruction" or the lone gunslinger in "Bring It On" and again in "Wanted Dead or Alive."

Some of these post-9/11 fans have been disappointed by more recent works. A number of critics would likewise agree that such productions as "Democracy in Iraq", "Katrina" and "I’m the Decider" are not the strongest entries in the Bush canon.

Most fans also have their favorite Bush villain. Longtime Bush followers point to the pompous Gore in 2000 while others are partial to Saddam and Kerry. But most will agree that the nastiest of the lot is the yet-to-be-defeated Osama.

It appears that Mr. Bush may finally have met his match against the criminal organization DNC, the Democratic National Committee. Despite years of success against this band of terrorists, dozens of Bush compatriots recently fell to an onslaught of Democratic bad guys. But Bush has been counted out before and survived to live another day. Guided by the masterful K and the all-powerful Dick, he always seems to be able to grab victory from the jaws of defeat.

Although we won’t know for sure until January which Bush we’ll see this time, there have been some hints. At a recent sneak preview, some fans heard a new Bush sounding much like the original Bush with a liberal use of words like "cooperation", "compromise" and "bipartisanship."
But all that may be just the latest Washington teaser designed simply to put bums in the seats. When it comes to George W. Bush, the only sure thing is that he will be shaken, not stirred.

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