01/25/2008
George W. Bush Punked By His Favorite Painting
According to Harpers, George W. Bush has spoken out many times about his attachment to this painting by W.H.D. Koerner entitled "A Charge to Keep". The President says it depicts "a missionary spreading the word of the Methodist Christianity in the American West in the late nineteenth century."
Unfortunately, Jacob Weisberg, the author of a forthcoming book on the President, did a bit of research on the painting and discovered that it really depicts "a silver-tongued horse thief fleeing from a lynch mob."
Writes Harpers: "The president of the United States has identified closely with a man he sees as a mythic, heroic figure. But in fact he’s a wily criminal one step out in front of justice. It perfectly reflects Bush the man. . . and Bush the president."
Read all about it here
(I actually think he really likes the painting cause the guy on the horse looks like him...)
The Illustrated President [harpers]
Posted 12:05 PM EST by Andy Towle in Art & Design, George W. Bush, News | Permalink
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it figures and yes the painting truly reflects everything he is. idiot.
Posted by: the queen | Jan 25, 2008 12:17:26 PM
What a messianic complex that man has. Good grief.
Posted by: davefromtampa | Jan 25, 2008 12:22:13 PM
Seriously, I don't know how anybody could get "a missionary spreading the word of the Methodist Christianity" from that painting.
Posted by: EireKev | Jan 25, 2008 12:25:39 PM
what an exquisite example of the bushit that has surrounded the white house for seven years.
Posted by: nic | Jan 25, 2008 12:26:08 PM
Brilliant! I love it!!
Posted by: virgoboy | Jan 25, 2008 12:41:21 PM
EIREKEV, it's simple! The man on the horse was the first person in history to ever use the "I found Jesus, so now I am innocent!" plea once he was caught. They hung horse thieves back then.
Shame they don't do the same today.
Rad
Posted by: Rad | Jan 25, 2008 12:55:56 PM
The man admires a painting of a horse thief. What a perfect metaphor.
Posted by: Frank L | Jan 25, 2008 1:04:21 PM
Totally consistent with his history of confabulation - he makes up whatever story he wants to suit his needs. The sad part is that he probably actually believes his own stories after he makes them up.
Posted by: Alex | Jan 25, 2008 1:14:50 PM
This is the funniest thing I've read all week.
Posted by: Matt | Jan 25, 2008 1:20:30 PM
I really don't see the discrepancy.
"...a missionary spreading the word..."
"...a silver tongued horse thief..."
Is there REALLY a difference between the two?
Posted by: ZEKE | Jan 25, 2008 2:56:38 PM
ZEKE,
No. Except for maybe that a horse thief sometimes gets his just deserts. Will bush ever get his?
Posted by: nic | Jan 25, 2008 3:31:33 PM
Quelle bizzare! I suspect the story is a bit garbled on both ends. It certainly doesn't look like anything to do with missionaries, so my guess is that the name of the painting is wrong. That is, he got the name wrong and kept repeating it. It's some other painting he saw. Good painting either way.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Jan 25, 2008 4:03:55 PM
That's our Georgie
Posted by: Wyatt | Jan 25, 2008 4:37:57 PM
There's something very "Kim Jong Il" about Bush's obsession with being ordained by God for some greater purpose.
Posted by: John | Jan 25, 2008 5:43:01 PM
or perhaps, bush is more like kim jong il's son -- made famous by david letterman -- menta li il.
Posted by: nic | Jan 25, 2008 7:06:55 PM
Honestly people, art is whatever you make it out to be. You can't make a painting and say "OMG TIS IS WUT IT MENS AND NO ONE ELS IS GUNA ARGU U HERE ME??", most of it's left up to the viewer.
And what sounds better for a painting? A patriotic man or a criminal?
Posted by: Honestly.. | Feb 8, 2008 11:27:10 PM