Could Batman Be Bush?

The two are 'vilified' for their crusades against terror
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 25, 2008 10:42 AM CDT
Could Batman Be Bush?
In this image released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger and Christian Bale are shown in 'The Dark Knight.'   (AP Photo/Stephen Vaughan)

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.
(More George W. Bush stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X