BUSH FATIGUE

WHEN THE OUTCOME of the 2000 election
was still in doubt, The Nation published a portrait of
George Bush as Alfred E. Neuman, the clueless MAD
magazine mascot (right). Eight years later, after two
rounds of Bush’s presidency, we were still looking for
pointed commentary from the artists. Christoph
Niemann showed what was left of Bush being squeezed
as a sprinkling on the sands of time (opposite). Mark
Ulriksen painted a lame duck (bottom, right). Barry
Blitt showed the president playing golf in the White
House (top, right).

TO THE SURPRISE of many liberals,
in late 2008 Karl Rove described George
Bush as an avid reader. Bush’s love of
reading had earlier prevented us from
pursuing Barry Blitt’s sketch for an end-
of-year Fiction Issue (left)—it’s best when
funny ideas are not based on gratuitous
prejudice but rather encompass a kernel
of truth.

53