Posted on 02/24/2002 7:50:56 AM PST by RippleFire
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN FEB 24, 2002 11:37:09 ET XXXXX
WEST WING SORKIN BLASTS BUSH: WE'RE 'PRETENDING' HE HAS EXHIBITED UNSPEAKABLE COURAGE
The force behind NBC's WEST WING is blasting off against the real West Wing in upcoming pages of the NEW YORKER, which names Aaron Sorkin "the country's loyal opposition."
NY'ER reporter Tad Friend has penned a high-impact Talk of the Town set for release in March 4 editions.
Sorkin, the creatorproducerwriter of WEST WING, tells Friend: "It's absolutely right that at this time we're all laying off the [Bush] bubblehead jokes. But that's a far cry from what the Times and CNN and others on whom we rely for unvarnished objectivity are telling us, which is that 'My God! On September 12th he woke up as Teddy Roosevelt! He became the Rough Rider!'"
Of NBC's own look at a day in the life of the Presidency, 'The Bush White House: Inside the Real West Wing,' which aired as the lead-in to a WEST WING repeat a few weeks ago, Sorkin charges: "The White House pumped up the President's schedule to show him being much busier and more engaged than he is, and Tom Brokaw let it happen?"
Sorkin continues: "The show was a valentine to Bush. That illusion may be what we need right now, but the truth is we're simply pretending to believe that Bush exhibited unspeakable courage at the World Series by throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium, or that he, by God, showed those terrorists by going to Salt Lake City and jumbling the first line of the Olympic opening ceremony.
"The media is waving pom-poms, and the entire country is being polite," Sorkin declares.
"I just began reading Frank Bruni's campaign book AMBLING INTO HISTORY: THE UNLIKELY ODYSSEY OF GEORGE W. BUSH which begins with Candidate Bush at a service in Texas for seven people who were killed in a church by a crazy gunman. Bruni describes Bush making goofy faces at the press, and it reminds you of a junior high schooler on a museum field trip."
Sorkin tells the mag that he is planning to revisit the BUSH-GORE Florida showdown in an upcoming episode.
President Josiah Bartlet [played by actor Martin Sheen, who has called Bush a white knuckled drunk] is up for re-election this November. "Bartlet is going to be running against Governor Robert Ritchie, of Florida, who's not the sharpest tool in the box but who's raised a lot of money and is very popular with the Republican Party,? Sorkin says.
"It was frustrating watching Gore try so hard not to appear smart in the debates. Why not just say" 'Here's my fucking résumé, what do you got?' We're a completely fictional, nonpolitical show, but one of our motors is doing our version of the old Mad magazine 'Scenes We'd Like to See.' And so to an extent we're going to rerun the last election and try a few different plays than the Gore campaign did."
Developing...
John Lithgow? He'd need some touch-up makeup but he'd be a good start.
This explains it, thanks...
That is sooo true.
Old Aaron must have been up for a couple of days before he said that one.
Right on! Most of the Hollywood boys are the ones who couldn't cut the mustard around their peers when back home. They spent their time on the hometown stage dancing and crying with the girls. I tell you what, the blight on our society is these sorry SOB's who continually malign anything and all that is decent. They have no respect, no shame! Be gone!
Just another pathetic liberal who can't get over the fact that Gore lost. The only difference is this pathetic liberal has his own tv show in which to spew his crap.
But again, Campaign Finance Reform is needed to make sure the people don't get to make their views known. Let Sorkin speak his mind, though.
Gore had to "try hard not to appear smart" - unbelievable! Does this guy know Gore flunked out of law school and divinity school?? And ... I loved the "we're a nonpolitical" show - yeah, right!!
If they're nonpolitical, how come the show is using the Republicans to run against Barlett in their November election??
These people are a joke - and I don't waste my time watching them.
Huh?
Now that the Rapist is out of office, it must be tough to admit that the Sturm und Drang of Hollywierd is actually, empty puffery, and entirely meaningless.
I know the plots and actors in dozens of movies, and can call in artillery TOT strikes. One is useful information, the other is useless trivia.
Guess which is which?
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