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September 8, 2008 3:44:38 AM CDT

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Could Batman Be Bush?

Posted Jul 25, 08 10:42 AM CDT in Arts & Living,  Opinion,  Politics 

(Newser) – They actually have a lot in common, the beleaguered president and the superhero currently smashing box office records, writes Andrew Klavan in the Wall Street Journal.  In The Dark Knight, Batman, like Bush, is "vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand." He's also willing to "push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency," knowing they can be restored when the crisis is past. Under cover of a mask, he writes, the film praises Bush’s “fortitude and moral courage.” 

“Like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society—in which people sometimes make the wrong choices-—and a criminal sect bent on destruction,” Klavan notes. He wonders why films that champion conservative values always seem to be cloaked in fantasy while left-wing takes on war on terror are realistic—though he notes with some satisfaction that the latter are usually box-office bombs.

Source Wall Street Journal

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In this image released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger and Christian Bale are shown in 'The Dark Knight.'   (AP Photo/Stephen Vaughan)
In this image released by Warner Bros., Christian Bale is shown as Batman in a scene from 'The Dark Knight.'   (AP Photo/Warner Bros.)
U.S. President George W. Bush delivers a statement following his attendance at the G8 summit, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 in the lakeside resort of Toyako on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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George W. Bush  • terrorism  • War on Terror  • Batman  • The Dark Knight


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