Customer Reviews

George W. Bush - Faith in the White House [VHS]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Great DVD. A short but precise historical assessment of the faith of this great President. A great starting point for those interested in the origins of the religious aspects of American politics since its beginning.

I am very happy that I acquired this DVD. I haven't seen yet, but I think it would be a very beautiful movie.

This DVD is being distributed by Republicans in churches around the country. This film explains everything that most normal people do not understand when it comes to why so many people in America are so fervent, regardless of facts and reason, in their support of George Bush. Here I would agree with Bush on one of his debate claims. This country badly needs an upgrade in its educational system. In an educated country a film like this could never be taken seriously. And neither could our "divine" leader.

One of the highlights of the film as described by Frank Rich of the New York Times:

"A towheaded child actor bathed in the golden light of an off-camera halo re-enacts the young George comforting his mom after the death of his sister; it's a parable anticipating the future president's miraculous ability to comfort us all after 9/11."

Are they serious? Yes, they are.

"As for the actual president, he is shown with a flag for a backdrop in a split-screen tableau with Jesus. The message isn't subtle: they were separated at birth."

This is a documentary that is specifically made to rebuff Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"? Moore's film was called by Republicans anything, but a documentary. This is apparently what is considered documentary in conservative circles.

Is it a bit scary that our country's policies are dictated by someone who interprets the Bible literally and considers himself an infallible prophet? And we wonder why he won't admit any of his many undeniable errors? When asked directly about his mistakes during the 2nd debate our "prophet" laughed the question off with a vague statement about some appointments he made, to which any normal person should have had a reaction nothing short of astonishment at the chutzpah that old George possesses.

The conclusion one comes to from this film is scary indeed. We are lead by a Christian version of a fanatical Muslim cleric in our crusade (jihad) against the rest of the world. Anyone who stands in the way is a heretic.

No wonder every attempt to reason with Bush's supporters fails miserably. As Frank Rich writes in his review of the film, "Facts on the ground in Iraq don't matter. Rational arguments mustered in presidential debates don't matter. Logic of any kind is a nonstarter. The president - who after 9/11 called the war on terrorism a "crusade," until protests forced the White House to backpedal - is divine."

This is an excellent example of the use of religion in this country create fear and confusion among the electorate. The "baby" George W. Bush with a halo? The lighting alone is an insult to any true Christian. To those who believe George W. Bush when he talks so much about his Christianity, I have two questions. Who would Jesus bomb? Who would Jesus torture? Another couple questions not addressed in this production...just where in the Bible are we instructed to kill for profit...to send young people to war as a first resort and to lie to accomplish our goals? This is propaganda...a must see for anyone interested in the manipulations and machinations of the religious right...the most truly UN-Christlike people on this planet.

Has the Bush Administration ever heard of separation of church and state? The United States prides itself on being a boiling pot of people of different races, ethnicities, backgrounds, AND religious beliefs. This is the reason the framers of our Constitution included the aforementioned amendment, and this is the reason that Bush should keep his own religion out of the White House. This movie emphasizes the fact that Bush's team picks and chooses from the Constitution only what serves their own best interests, just as many people do with the Bible.

Bush spends more time on his knees than any American president? I didn't need to know that. I could insert the obvious Lewinsky joke here, but since I'm not a drive-time DJ or 99.9% of the stand-up comics in America (or most of the guys you work with), I won't.

Instead I'll ask the question this little puff-piece crockumentary fails to answer: So? So George W. Bush prays. So he's sincere in his beliefs. So he is guided by his understanding of what Christ would do, or want done, in any situation. So what? I don't care how sincere he is -- he keeps doing bad things that hurt most (read: poor and middle-class) Americans.

Bush's conception of faith is so flawed it's remarkable more thoughtful Christians haven't called him on it publicly. No matter how ardent your beliefs, if they're factually incorrect then that's that. I can believe in my heart of heart that two plus two does not equal four. Doesn't make it so. But because Bush looked into his heart and "prayed on" whether invading Iraq was the right thing to do, we're now supposed to forget that the invasion was not only morally reprehensible but based on at least incomplete and very likely purposely skewed intelligence analysis? Think I'll pass on that Kool-Aid.

Bush is the worst president ever. That's pretty clear by now to anyone (a) older than 8, (b) not a member of the Bush family, or (c) who can and does read. How much more evidence do we need? Like when he said he looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and "saw his soul." This, despite Putin's increasingly autocratic and racist policies, including the continued oppression and murder of his own countrymen? Or like when he said the jury is still out on evolution? The evolution issue is so overdone - we've been having this argument for decades now, and some people just won't respond to fact. But what no one ever attacks is the arrogance of these windowlickers who say it ain't so just because it doesn't square with THEIR conception of the text and meaning of the Bible. Am I the only one who's insulted that these oxygen thieves don't believe God to be capable of creating the seeds from which life grew? If God is omnipotent, why is there even a question as to whether evolution can be squared with Christianity or the Bible? I'm supposed to believe God can create man out of dust in an instant, but not out of numerous genetic mutations over the course of millenia? That's not a problem with my faith, folks; that's a problem with your ability to really grasp the concept of omnipotence. Which figures: most of the people who'll enjoy this DVD have zero power over anything important, including their own lives. But what's galling, and what keeps us Liberals awake nights, is that we have a president who can't grasp the concept. What is faith without intelligence?

This DVD just adds ammo to the inescapable conclusion that Bush is a pious fraud. From his fake Texanisms (your blue-blood Connecticut family spent tens of thousands of dollars to put you through Harvard AND Yale and you STILL can't pronounce "nuclear"?) to his cynical and exploitative (see e.g. Terri Schiavo) religiosity, George W. Bush stops being sincere the second he wakes up. He's a bigoted, myopic little child of privilege who should be given a gun and sent to fight alongside the soldiers he's thrown into the meat grinder. I know he chickened out the last time such an opportunity dropped into his lap, but it's never too late. Proceeds from this DVD could be used to buy him a one-way ticket to Fallujah so he can put that spiffy flight suit to use. But since Bush has clearly played the Jedi Mind Trick on the filmmakers, that's not likely to happen.

So...why the two stars? Because the "Left Behind" crowd will spend two more hours in front of their DVD players and two less hours picketing Planned Parenthood clinics. Anything that sedates the farthest right fringes of American religion is good by me. Plus, there's something kind of appealing about watching a puff piece on someone you just know is ultimately going to be shown for the charlatan they are.

And to stem the expected flow of hate mail: I attend church regularly, am close friends with many evangelical Christians (though I am not one), including Bush supporters (ditto - duh!), and have made these same arguments to many of them. Their usual response: a shoulder shrug and a "well, you just don't understand." Actually, I understand very well. It's the Politics of Fear. Say what you will about Bill Clinton; most of us who voted for him were voting for hope. And that's a big problem: it's a lot easier to create fear than hope. So people like Bush and Ronald Reagan will pop up from time to time, and our job is to hold our noses and try to keep reminding ourselves that This Too Shall Pass.

I bought this item thinking that it would be interesting to see how the conservatives communicate to their base. But what a yawn this DVD is! The only point they make through the whole thing is that George Bush is a religious man, which they hammer over and over again, as though we didn't know that already. No in-depth look into how this specifically affects his policy-making both here and abroad. Plus, the re-enactments are just plain dumb and the overall production is poor. Basically, a transparent "documentary" offering no substance at all. The Frontline documentary "The Jesus Factor" is far more informative.

During a time when the left is utterly consumed by hate for Bush and obsessed with bashing him, I found this DVD wonderfully refreshing and encouraging. It reinforced my opinion that Bush is exactly where he needs to be.

Some of the liberals who reviewed this DVD took the opportunity to add a bunch of their own personal beliefs and opinions on a variety of things from the notion that Bush has lied to the idea that right-wing Christians are the most un-Christ-like people on the planet. Hogwash. They need to get down off their soap boxes and stick to what is actually in the DVD.

Unintentional comedy. The people who made this "documentary" should be ashamed of themselves. The Bush administration is the most spiritually empty group of profiteers I have ever seen. And I am not an atheist. I believe in God. I believe George believes in God. I also believe he will go down in history as a lesson to future generations about the dangers of unchecked power, arrogance and greed. If I set out to make a satire on the GOP and it's pact with organized religion, it's distortion of what true compassion is, I couldn't have done a better job. I want to show this film as a comedy to friends. My only question is, how do I get a copy without having a nickel go to the people who made it? I have to stop this review so I can get down on my knees and pray that the wave of hatred coming over me will pass! I know I'll feel better tommorow because I plan to help someone less fortunate than me. Not bomb them.

I home school my kids and wanted a video that would show them how Christian values in the White House are beneficial to our country. I was surprised at how much I learned from this video. I did not know a lot of how deep George W. Bush's faith is. I enjoyed this video. My 10 year old did as well. It really got her interested in politics. I am glad I purchased this dvd.