Fictionalized portrayals of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, have become common since his inauguration on January 20, 2001. Many popular TV shows, magazines, books and comics have portrayed or satirized him.
Several comedians have been known for notable impressions of Bush, including Will Ferrell, Jon Culshaw, Frank Caliendo, James Adomian, Jon Stewart, Scott Dikkers, Steve Bridges and Will Forte. Timothy Bottoms has portrayed Bush fictionally multiple times as recently as 2003: in the Comedy Central sitcom That's My Bush!, as a cameo in the family film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, and in a serious role in the telefilm DC 9/11 (2003).
Bush has been the target of satire for most of his presidency. Most fictional depictions of the President in popular media tend to emphasize his drawl and tendency to use incorrect grammar and malapropisms in speeches, as well as his sometimes awkward hand and facial gestures. Bush is often depicted in caricatures with a large nose and ears, and small eyes, giving him a somewhat elfin appearance, or sometimes to look similar to a chimpanzee. He is also sometimes drawn in political cartoons as being short in stature, although in reality he is taller than the average American.
Most media portrayal of George W. Bush has been negative, which some conservatives claim is reflective of a leftist media bias.
Famous quotes containing the words portrayals and/or bush:
“We attempt to remember our collective American childhood, the way it was, but what we often remember is a combination of real past, pieces reshaped by bitterness and love, and, of course, the video past—the portrayals of family life on such television programs as “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best” and all the rest.”
—Richard Louv (20th century)
“Different persons growing up in the same language are like different bushes trimmed and trained to take the shape of identical elephants. The anatomical details of twigs and branches will fulfill the elephantine form differently from bush to bush, but the overall outward results are alike.”
—Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)