For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
Anti-Bush sentiment busts out all over (17 Apr 04)
And it's not just the usual suspects taking shots. The fire is coming from feature film, theatre and TV
SIMON HOUPT
Globe and Mail
NEW YORK -- It was an unusual occasion for a political statement. On Wednesday morning, the day after George W. Bush hosted a prime-time news conference to defend the fuzzy state of affairs in Iraq, architect James Polshek took the podium at a Brooklyn Museum preview to speak of the challenges in completing a multimillion dollar glass-and-steel renovation to the museum entrance.
"Building is a little like war. Once you get in it, you have to go all the way," he said. "But in this case, we did so successfully." Polshek paused, and a tiny smile crept across his face while the assembled media and museum supporters offered chuckles and light applause. "I don't want to get into that."
So much for architecture being a non-partisan discipline. Anti-administration politics are busting out of their usual homes in music, books, fine art and standup comedy, and crossing easily over into feature films, theatre, and even mainstream television shows in the run-up to this November's U.S. presidential election. At the same time, many of the flag-waving, administration-friendly movies that Hollywood rushed to produce in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, either foundered in development or are bombing at the box office, including the current The Alamo.
Writers and others say the sniping now directed at the White House is at least partly a response to the self-censorship they endured for more than a year after the terrorist attacks for fear of being seen as disloyal, and the disenchantment many have over the perception that George W. Bush intentionally misled the nation into war.
