George W. Bush

George Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States, serving two terms from 2001 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2009 He was the 46th Governor of Texas, serving from 1995 to 2000. Bush is the eldest son of President George H. W. Bush, who served as the 41st President, and Barbara Bush, making him one of only two American presidents to be the son of a preceding president. His wife is First Lady Laura Bush.

George Bush's presidency was steeped in controversy owing to several factors including questionable election results in 2000, the terrorist attack against the United States in 2001, the creation of the Patriot Act and the ensuing war against Iraq in 2003. These instances, and others, have made Bush a target of derision amongst some who work in the horror medium and he has been referenced either by name, or by reputation in several horror-themed films and television programs.

In the pilot episode of the HBO television series True Blood, a homosexual character named Lafayette Reynolds makes a remark in one of the earlier scenes about man's innate fear of female genitalia. He tells his co-workers, "I know every man, whether straight, gay or George mother-fucking Bush is terrified of the pussy." A more politically barbed representation of George W. Bush can be found in the fourth episode of season one, "Escape from Dragon House". A rendering of George Bush as a vampire biting the neck of the Statue of Liberty can briefly be seen on a wall behind the bar at a vampire night club called Fangtasia (a similar painting of former US President Bill Clinton is featured in the episode as well). The painting was illustrated by famed comic book artist Alex Ross and was first published on the cover of the October 26th, 2004 edition of The Village Voice. The picture was not intended to be flattering and several members of the political right took offense towards its implication. A query about HBO's use of the image sent through Mr. Ross' site was answered by Sal Abbinanti, a comic illustrator and editor who wrote:

"We send posters and files of images to production companies all the time. (Upon their request) HBO asked us for some images quite a while ago. Wasn't sure what it was going to be used for.Since the show's airing on Sunday night, Web sites like Rope of Silicon and the Italian language Movieplayer.it and commenters on Flickr have begun to take note of the image. Maybe it's another clever viral marketing campaign?"

An oblique reference to George Bush's presidency can be found in the sixth episode of Showtime's Masters of Horror entitled "Homecoming". The episode focuses on American soldiers who had been killed overseas returning to life as zombies. The US President, never mentioned by name, sees this as an opportunity to help his bid for re-election by catering to the "zombie vote". The episode pokes fun at the President's perceived lack of intelligence, but a publicist defends his actions, stating that the President is not stupid... he simply gets stupid people to like him.

George Bush is briefly referenced in the beginning of the 2008 horror/comedy Zombie Strippers!. In the near-future year of 2012, George Bush is serving his fourth term in office along with Vice President Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their administration is dominated by long-standing wars in multiple locations including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, France, Canada and Alaska. As such, troop shortage is at an all-time low and the President turns towards Corporate America to find a solution. W Industries develops a toxic, transmittable chemovirus that reanimates dead tissue. W Industries is a reference to George Bush's middle initial, which has also become an informal nickname for the President, particularly among his detractors.

Notes & Trivia

 * George Bush's father, George Herbert Bush, has also been featured in some horror-related media. In the "Freddy Krueger's Nightmare: Dan Quayle Elected President" of the puppetry humor series D.C. Follies, iconic dream demon Freddy Krueger surprises President Bush at the bar and makes several puns about helping him to "slash the budget".


 * George W. Bush's wife, First Lady Laura Bush, has also been referenced in True Blood. In the third episode of season one, "Mine", a character named Jason Stackhouse tries to purchase a vial of vampire blood (known for being a potent aphrodisiac if ingested by mortals) from a dealer named Lafayette Reynolds. Jason did not have the money to pay for the "V", so to compensate, Lafayette made a video recording of Jason dancing wearing nothing but his underwear and a Laura Bush mask.