Is Batman's 'Dark Night' Bush or Cheney?

"The Dark Knight," an allegory about evil featuring the late Australian actor Heath Ledger as the Joker, is breaking all kinds of box office records.

Holy smokes, Batman, the movie is also being hailed in conservative quarters as a tribute to George W. Bush for prosecuting a war against terrorism despite great skepticism from the public.

In today's Wall Street Journal, Andrew Klavan discusses "What Bush and Batman Have In Common." His thoughts:

There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past.

And 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. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

Slavan does take a shot at the president, noting that the movie does a compelling job of selling the Bush policy that the president himself "cannot seem to articulate for beans."

But other commentators see Cheney in the lead role. Here's Spencer Ackerman:

The thought of Vice President Dick Cheney in a form-fitting bat costume might be too much for most people to bear. But the concepts of security and danger presented in Christopher Nolan's new Batman epic, "The Dark Knight," align so perfectly with those of the office of the vice president that David Addington, Cheney's chief of staff and former legal counsel, might be an uncredited script doctor.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Stephen Vaughan / Warner Bros.

Comments

[Jeugenen]

CLINTON, BUSH AND KARADZIC EUROPEAN WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL JUSTICE
Karadzic illegally shot innocent Muslims in the Serbian defensive civil war; Clinton and Bush illegally bombed innocent Muslims in the offensive international Iraq War for the Judeofascist Israeli Land Robbers. If Karadzic had bombed, instead of shot the Muslims, how would his war crimes have been different from those of Bush? Is the European Union War Crimes Tribunal waiting until Bush is no longer president, before charging him?

[Eric]

What nonsense. Neither Bush or Cheney have an ounce of altruistic motives behind what they've done. It's 100% to enrich themselves and their filthy rich buddies. Bush and Cheney are the criminals, not the good guys.

[Almost Angeleno]

You're kidding, RIGHT? Equating Bush with Batman?! That's a howler!
Geez...the conservative media is getting pretty desperate -- and pathetic.

[Chris]

That's funny, I don't remember going out and killing some bystander because of what the Joker did. Wouldn't that more accurately reflect Bush and Cheney? Invade Iraq because of something they were not involved in.

Give me a break. Linking Batman to the worst President to ever preside over the US is completely ridiculous. Wonder what the Nolan's think of this?

[Air Force Vet]

No he is not kidding almost angeleno...Since 9/11 has there been an attack in the U.S.A. No!!!! When 9/11 happened the Bush presidency has changed because no other president in the history of this country has endured as much as he did. Not FDR, Truman, or Eisenhower. Think people Think!! Comparing Bush to Batman maybe a little bit strange but think of the similarities. Batman wealthy decides to live a double life to fight crime even though the public has scorned him. Bush with his 8 yrs as president I could only recall one year that his popularity has soared and that is back in 2001. After that decides to take the offense and fight the war on terror. The result for Batman Crime and corruption still exists but the Mob bosses realize that at least someone is standing up against it. Now with Bush the Taliban and Al Qaeda is still here but the fight has been prevented from coming here to our land. I am not glorifying W because he does have flaws in regards to the ecomomy and other issues but believe me this man does not deserve the scrutiny he is facing.

[Norman]

The european union and the UN should be charged for being morons.

[A Lendel]

When I saw the movie at the never end I was struck with the comparison of Bush & Batman. 20-30 years from now people will praise the name of Bush and shake their heads at the vitriol they are showing him.

[andrew]

and the corporate machinery of bull ticks away....churning out blobs of waste for you to suck up and read....great job l.a.times....what a load of s.

[F. Shoe Fitzwearit]

While there is a case to be made for Bush as Batman - a wealthy wastrel who dresses in disguises (in Bush's case, as an adult) and has a British servant (aka Tony "Poodle" Blair) - a more convincing analogy would be Bush as Two-Face, whose character flaws end up disfiguring the presidency a la Dorian Gray. Rove is a perfect Joker, running amok as Commissioner Gordon, representing the American people, signals for help from a reluctant, impotent Congress. The main character is the darkness of Gotham in the post-Constitutional, post-habeas corpus reign of the Dementors - Cheney, Addington, Woo, Rumsfeld, et. al. Pray God there be no sequel...

[Bushman]

I agree with A Lendel, in time (perhaps in a generation) those with any intellectual honesty about them will have to admit that GW Bush was the right man at the right time to make a huge, positive, difference in world history. Of course, it will be up to our wonderful public schools to make sure it is taught accurately and I imagine they will still be teaching America is the one at fault for everything. The Bush Haters would rather drive our country into the ground or see it go up in flames than give President Bush one ounce of credit. SAD SAD SAD.

[Dok Ree]

What's SAD SAD SAD is that comparisons are being made between a FICTIONAL caped crusader and an ACTUAL minimally competent CRUELSADER with not a cape but sh..loads of nuclear bombs at his disposal to enforce the whims of behind the scenes corporate interests. In reality, if comparisons will be made, Dumbya... er.. W is more appropriately compared to Henri Ducard who blindly follows a doctrine fanatically, religiously expounded by Ra's al Ghul (Arabic for "Head of the Demon"--not that I know Arabic but IMDB is useful in this) in which he and his cronies are oh so morally superior and can decide who should be wiped from the face of the Earth-- either economically or forcefully. Not that our fearless leader can speak or think as well as Henri or most fourth graders. Oh my, I've sunk to the dark side of character assassination; now, drowning, I'll say they all a bunch of corporate c-suckers.

[Adi]

I agree that Bush showed a brave face after 9/11 but lets try to be neutral here for a second and consider what he did to Iraq. How does that not equate to war crime? How would you justify killing thousands of innocent civilians for none of their fault? How would you justify invading a country for something that wasn't even there in the first place (does WMD sound familiar?)? Being patriotic is one thing and blindly supporting something is another. If Batman had destroyed a city and killed thousands of civilians just to find the Joker, would you still consider him as a super hero or would you rather put him behind the bars? Let me ask an honest question here - if those innocent civilians were Americans instead of Iraqis, would you still be defending George W. Bush? I guess, the answer is obvious. And if you still think Bush should be praised in the high school text books for what he did in last 6 years (I still think he did a great job immediately after 9/11 and that should be praised) then I guess we'll need to accommodate lot more names out there.

[john]

lie about reasons A COUNTRY goes to another, under what should be the due process of law, law that must be universal and just. (falsely comparing with a man who fights those who break the rules in a genuinely emergency situation, fighting those who take advantage of rules and heroism as a weakness). If you break the law, are you any better than a criminal? The Dark Knight asks questions, doesn’t pose glib answers. It has depth if you choose to think about it.

BUSH: broke the law. (initial and sustained presence). Fighting a war under false pretenses (untrue reasons why there). Lets borrow more money from China to fund a war we can't afford. A war that is not in our US best interests. Violating international laws and losing respect and hurting US's credibility and image. A law that has not been declared under due process of law (abusing US law and international law)- not voted on by congress but declared by the president abusing power intended only for emergency situations when the US is under direct and genuine critical threat. Universality: would we want another country to come in and tell us how to rule our own country? 'war on terror', the biggest joke of a phrase I have ever heard. The patriot act, the biggest breach of the US constitution- violating privacy laws here at home as well.

The Dark Knight is an amazing movie that Has genuine substance, story, character and is action packed and entertaining. My favorite movie of all time. It has action and is entertaining, and has genuine substance and story and characters. But Bush is the Dark Knight hero? Stop making me laugh!

[Jordan Jefferson]

"We make war that we may live in peace" - Aristotle
Saddam was a terrorist and needed to be ousted. The war was in Iraq, against Saddam , not on Iraq. People who cast judgement based on the what the liberal media tells them are foolish, for the truth is only known if you can touch, taste, hear, see, and feel it for yourself. Once this is accomplished, then a reasonable and prudent man will know there is justice in the mission because he has seen the truth.

Plus batman would never blow up the world trade center

[Theodore Trout]

The best scene in 'The Dark Knight' is where the Joker's experiment fails; it completely repudiates the entire Straussian dogma by which the NeoCons rule.
The terrifying buffoon at the center of the action is at least vaguely reminiscent of the murderous clown we've all come to know so well these last eight years; the scene where he implodes a public building by remote control will resound with anyone who has spent any part of those years reading up on controlled demolition.
And of course, Batman's comment when he destoys his ultimate wire-tapping device after one use, "sometimes when people have faith in you , you need to reward it."
We are all trapped in the Joker's experiment.
We all need to become Batman.

[Laurel Anne Hill]

“Holy W, Batman! You’re like Bush?”

I read the Wall Street Journal’s piece comparing the trials and tribulations of Batman to those of President Bush. Wow! Was that a bat signal in the sky, or the letter “W?” I found the comparison interesting but have my own opinions about heroes and battles against evil.

On the rope of life, heroes climb above their weakest point, putting themselves at risk for the benefit of others. Love, compassion, duty and honor call them forth and they respond. Still, even heroes on a worthwhile quest against evil must search their own hearts for smoldering embers of hate or vengeance that could influence their actions and bring dishonor and disaster. We are only human. Heroes or not, we often fight our deadliest battles against ourselves and the best way to tame our dark, snarling inner desires is to flood those beasts with light.

We live in the real world, one with presidents and CEO’s but no superheroes of fantasy fame. Public awareness and debate about all sides of political and social issues must comprise the beams of light in our darkened skies. And we should all vote according to the signals in which we believe. That “W” stands for “We, the people,” if we let it.

Laurel Anne Hill
Author of “Heroes Arise,” a parable about the necessity and complexity of breaking the cycle of vengeance. (KOMENAR Publishing, October 2007)

[Adam]

I agree with Eric, Bush and Cheney know no morals, money is thier God.
I don't accept the analogy, either, SPOILER ALERT; ultimately it is the people of gotham, not batman, who nullify the Joker's insane agenda to create pandemonium by pitting the citizens' morals against one another.

[RandomeAmericanCitizen756]

Wow ... I have to admit this one never occured to me. I DID draw some comparisons mentally with Joker being a terrorist and that kind of reflecting the age we live in. I don't hate anyone just for the sake of hating them. I don't enjoy hating anyone. But I truly believe in my heart that George W. Bush is an evil man, a liar and a criminal. This is as ignorant of a claim as was the claim that Frank Miller's "300" was propaganda against the Arab nations.

[Botero]

"Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past".

^^^ The problem with Dumbya's administration is that it's hard at work making sure the "emergency" status remains for decades to come. And thus the boundaries will never be re-established.

"Think people Think!! Comparing Bush to Batman maybe a little bit strange but think of the similarities"

^^^ Yeah, both are fake. You do know that Batman is a fictitious character, do you now?

[automator]

Well, there is definitely a Batman/Bush allegory in the movie. The use of wiretapping, torture, videotaping hostages, joker as terrorist and 9/11 imagery is thrown in your face throughout the movie. It is a propaganda film which aims to justify Bush's decisions as a necessary evil. It has been proven that Bush lied about the threat of Iraq, that he set up secret prison camps to torture people and that he broke the law by spying on American citizens without warrants. He is not a man sacrificing his reputation for the good of the country. He is a villain. "The Dark Knight", the WSJ article and others try to paint a rosy picture of this guy, but it is propaganda at its worst.

[readup]

Hello, I would just like to comment that there is definitely a Bush/Batman comparison to be made. I would like to quickly point out all the allegories between Batman and our current political situation with the war on terror::: wiretapping, torture, videotaping hostages, kidnapping foreigners without due process, blowing up buildings using 9/11 imagery, along with the Joker's other acts of terorism and lack of motivation (other than pure hatred). There are also whole allegorical scenes in the movie such as the ferries (pre-emptive strike) and the public demanding Batmans unmasking (Americans wanting an end to the Iraq War). If someone wants to respond back with an alternative reason why these themes would be present in the movie, I will keep an open mind to consider their point of view. As far as I can see though, all these plot points are used to justify Bush's unlawful and deceitful policies. Bush is a bad president because he has lied about the threat of Iraq in order to go to war there, he has set up secret off-shore prisons to torture people for information, and he has broken the law by wiretapping American citizens. This movie, and the Wall Street Journal article, are wrong because the allegory they present praises Bush's actions as a necessary evil, instead of criticizing him for his unconstitutional policies. Thank you for reading this and I would enjoy further dialogue on the subject.

[slestack]

Until Christopher Nolan says that this was his original intent when making the movie, I will have to say that Batman is just a movie about a comic book hero with lots of special effects. Much like Moby Dick is just a book about a big fish. I will agree that Bush has, reluctantly or not, become the single point of blame for all the problems in the world.

The question I have is that, if Bush is as stupid as the public seems to think he is, then how can he brainwash Congress and the American public into thinking Iraq was a good idea? Wouldn't he need to be pretty intelligent to do that? Or are smart people, like the American public think they are, so easily fooled by stupid people?

As a non-partisan opinion in the matter, I remember that everyone was pretty gung-ho about this war when it started. It just seems that people have a short attention span or don't understand what it means to go into war. I hate how the Democrats and Republicans care more about their party than this country. The Republicans by calling the Democrats un-American for not supporting the war and the Democrats for sabotaging the war so that they can call the Republicans stupid. Both parties need to check themselves and the American public needs to stop being brainwashed by both sides.

I also wonder how long Barrack Obama will blame Bush and the Republicans for all the problems that will still exist when he's president? I mean, if he's on his 8th year of service and still blaming Bush for the problems in the world, it will be a bit ridiculous.

[tim edmon]

I thought the same thing as I was watching the movie. It seemed obvious to me that Batman was fighting the same war as President Bush. I wouldn't expect the "readers" of the LA Times to be open minded enough to see the similarity, but that is the point, isn't it?

[amir]

i am an iranian. sorry, but only bush and cheney understand the real threat of islam and ahmadinejad. democrats like carter destroyed 70m iranian life in 1979.