INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY
[PRESIDENT BUSH sits at his desk amid a heap of souvenirs of his recent trip. Also present are COLIN POWELL, DICK CHENEY, and DONALD RUMSFELD.]
BUSH: …and then I made the speech and then we had dinner and then Tony gave me another present and then-
CHENEY: Hrrrm. That’s wonderful, Mr. President. Now, while you were -hhhrp- gone…
BUSH: … and look at this!
[He lifts a doll.]
BUSH: Look, it’s one of those Beefeater guard guys! Tony gave it to me. But here’s the cool thing - it’s like one of those super-advanced robot dolls that’s programified to act just like the real guys! Pow-Pow - try to make it crack up or something.
[Reluctantly, Powell approaches the desk.]
POWELL: Uh, say there, guard. What’s , um, new?
[Pause.]
BUSH: SEE!? Cool, huh? Keep trying to distract it, Pow. [to the others:] So, what’d I miss? Did we analygate those weapons of mass destruction?
RUMSFELD: Yeah. They were, um, fertilizer and pesticide.
BUSH: Hot dog! We got ‘im dead to rights!
RUMSFELD: Uh, no. Those aren’t weapons of mass destruction.
BUSH: Oh.
CHENEY: Don’t worry. It’s -hrrrrrrm- just a matter of time.
[An aide enters followed by the TURKISH AMBASSADOR.]
AIDE: Mr. President, the Turkish Ambassador is here.
POWELL: Excellent. He’s here to discuss the possibility of using Turkish resources to facilitate deployment on the northern front.
BUSH: Cool.
TURKISH AMBASSADOR: Mr. President, I -
RUMSFELD: Save it for Saddam, Turk Boy! We don’t need you! Hit the highway, ya mook!
[Affronted, the Turkish Ambassador bows and exits. Pause.]
RUMSFELD: Geez, the nerve of that guy, huh?
CHENEY: Er, Don. We kinda wanted to -hrrp- negotiate with him.
RUMSFELD: Oooh, yeah. Sorry. Guess I just kind of lost my head. I’ll call ‘im and apologize later.
BUSH: No prob, Rum-meister. Hey, Pow-Pow, you’re not trying to distract the Beefeater! Make faces or something.
POWELL: I don’t seem to be able to get any reaction, sir.
BUSH: Isn’t it great!? SO high tech, just like Tony said. Keep trying.
CHENEY: Anyway, sir, we -hrrp- need to discuss postwar scenarios. Perhaps form some sort of coalition to administer the new government.
POWELL: That’s why I’ve invited an Egyptian representative over. [into the intercom:] Send him in.
[The EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIVE enters.]
EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIVE: Good afternoon, Mr. President-
RUMSFELD: Yeah, I’m sure it’s a good afternoon for non-coms! Get lost!
EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIVE: Um, yes. Uh, what?
[Rumsfeld approaches him menacingly, his face red with emotion.]
RUMSFELD: Didn’t you hear me, King Tut? We don’t need you! We don’t need anybody! Fuck off!!
[Rumsfeld bodily lifts the Egyptian Ambassador and shoves him out the door. Pause. Rumsfeld turns to see the others staring at him.]
RUMSFELD: What!? He started it!
POWELL: Nice diplomacy, Don.
[pause. Rumsfeld breathes, smoothes his hair.]
RUMSFELD: Sorry. Don’t know what came over me. Won’t happen again.
CHENEY: Great. Guess we have to go it alone -hrrrm- thanks to Rummy.
BUSH: Okay. Did you guys see how the Beefeater totally didn’t react to that? Is that great or what?
[Repeat and fade]





7 comments
Don
April 9, 2003 at 2:33 pm
1Adam
As always, that was great! Or what.
I bet the Beefeater is still not responding. You just can’t beat those Brits for high tech. Or is it for being non-responsive and non-sentient?
Kalikat
April 9, 2003 at 4:17 pm
2Bravo! I say, that really nails it.
Ken
April 10, 2003 at 5:03 pm
3Adam,
This is funny, but…
Maybe it’s time to drop the “Bush as infantile rube controlled by evil geniuses” schtick. I object to George II as much as anyone, but he’s not stupid and he’s not ineffectual. He certainly does things that I think are misguided, but he’s been pretty darn effective in accomplishing his goals.
Sun Tzu or Clausewitz or Yogi Berra probably said something about the danger of (mis)underestimating one’s enemies.
Landis
April 10, 2003 at 6:21 pm
4Actually I think this kinda leans towards Bush not being as stupid as once thought. Look at him getting Powell out of the way so he can talk to the guys who he sides with…
Raya
April 11, 2003 at 4:28 pm
5Yeah, I totally read it as “evil manipulative Bush doing his Georgie Porgie act on that wimp Pow-Pow”…
but anyway…
it was funny at first but now it just scares the crap out of me. Make the nasty men in the White House go away, Adam!
bp
April 12, 2003 at 11:08 pm
6Poor pow-pow. And we think we are surrounded by idiots. That man is a saint. Too bad he works for the least qualified egomaniac we’ve had in a while.
Rana
April 14, 2003 at 11:52 am
7I dunno — wouldn’t a saint rather die than compromise his beliefs, as Powell seems to keep doing?