Posted by
C. L. Palmer on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 5:18:19 PM
Watching Glenn Beck one night, I realized that the latest Batman movie does indeed have conservative overtones. That got me thinking. I started to analyze certain parallels that stuck out to me.
First of all, the actor who plays Batman bears more than a passing resemblance to a young George W. Bush. He has the same smirk and mannerisms. You won't be able to watch the movie again without noticing this, once somebody suggests it.
Second, Batman decides that he must do what many would consider out-of-bounds to protect his city. He decides that he must be the hero Goham needs, not just the one it wants. He realizes that to protect those he has sworn to protect, he must be despised by many of them. Who does that sound like but President Bush? He uses "rough interrogation." He keeps things close to the vest, even from law enforcement, whom he does not trust. George W. Bush has been plagued by leftover Clinonistas in the FBI and CIA; Batman's efforts were hampered by cops beholden to the mob. Eerily similar...
Third, Batman decides that the only way to protect the citizenry is to listen in on conversations all over the city. Essentially, he is wire-tapping. He programs the system to lock on only to the voice of the terrorist he seeks, just as Bush listens in only on conversations with suspected terrorists. He, and his staff, have reservations over this, but in the end decide that it is a better alternative than doing nothing. He never goes outside of his mission objectives with it, however. It is an "emergency power," and the program is dismantled when its objective has been met.
The moral of the story is that sometimes you must sacrifice your personal pride and desires to protect your people. They may not be grateful, and may, indeed, roundly criticize you for your actions. However, in order to serve them properly, you must be ready to absorb that criticism and not let it distract you from your mission. With regard to the war on terror, this has been the exact philosophy of the Bush administration.
I have many areas of disagreement with President Bush, but this movie made me see him in a new light. When protecting this country from terrorists, men who "just want to watch the world burn," Bush is Batman. He will be vindicated by history, at least in this area, the seminal issue of our time. In this respect, he is truly a hero.