Comedy Central Salutes George W. Bush

"What the BLEEP were you thinking?” shrieks comedian Lewis Black as he asks his audience why they voted for George W. Bush not once but twice. With the reign of America’s worst leader soon to enter the history books, the folks at Comedy Central have gathered the highlights of their presidential coverage over the past two terms. Among the better choices is a South Park episode poking fun at 9/11 conspiracy freaks and blaming Dubya for orchestrating this catastrophe. South Park co-creator Trey Parker also wrote the short-lived TV series That’s My Bush, which is sampled here. Aired just months prior to 9/11, That’s My Bush was the first TV program to lampoon Bush, Jr. and would continue to in the dark months following the terrorist attack when Bush’s approval ratings soared and comedians like Bill Maher were censored. Unfortunately, That’s My Bush failed to seize the opportunity to satirize the sitcom format itself rather than the incompetent goof running the White House. The animated L’il Bush reduces the White House inner circle to children, predictably casting Cheney, Rove, Condy and l’il George as bumbling little kids. It’s a fun cartoon, rather than a funny one, as George’s gang wreaks mayhem in anarchic Iraq. The standout of the DVD is The Root of All Evil, where Lewis Black oversees the case of Paris Hilton vs. Dick Cheney as the root of all-evil. "Lawyers” take hilarious turns debating who is more evil: the "douche bag” or the "sleaze bag.” That’s contrasted with shocking man-on-the-street interviews with ordinary Americans who consider VP Cheney "cuddly.” Half-decent clips from various stand-up routines fill out the DVD’s 110 minutes but this is a mixed bag of laughs.