Posthuman Blues

How my taxes are helping finance Bush's "re"-election campaign

A long time ago I impulsively ordered a free DVD called "Up From Zero" from a U.S. government website. "Up From Zero" is a drippingly patriotic documentary on the events of 9-11-01 and the subsequent courage and fortitude of the American people. We Will Never Forget. All that crap.

My apartment manager slipped the disc under my door a few hours ago after at least a year of -- what? Shipping? I'm convinced no one should expect prompt or efficient service from the government -- regardless of context -- but the grossly belated delivery of "Up From Zero" was anomalous even by bureaucratic standards.

Then I realized what was, in all probability, really going on: "Up From Zero" is Bush administration campaign propaganda masquerading as sappy patriotic docudrama.

The timing is perfect:

Thousands of Americans will watch "Up From Zero" right in time for the election.

They'll see a quaint, by-the-books retelling of 9-11, replete with lavishly edited footage of Bush doing his best to look solemn and paternal.

They'll remember those post-attack days of "coming together" under W's steely, competent watch.

More importantly, though, they'll vote for Bush.

If "Up From Zero" had arrived on time -- say, after two or three months -- the 2004 election would have seemed remote. Certainly no one would have been talking about John Kerry. People would have dutifully watched the DVD, perhaps thrown it out with that week's bushel of AOL CD-ROMs, and quietly forgotten about it.

But the suspiciously long delay between order and receipt seems conveniently timed to coincide with the upcoming electoral farce. The image of Bush that proliferated in the weeks and months after 9-11 is one of power and abiding leadership in the face of massive uncertainty. It was never more than a media artifact, of course, just as W's current TV ads are perilously subjective renderings of the (P)resident's psyche.

"Up From Zero" is a tax-funded attempt to exhume the W of old. A self-declared "War President," Bush stands to benefit substantially by the DVD's delayed release. It captures him at his teleprompted best, as a man of action not yet committed to a backfired war of "liberation." No flight suit footage here.

If you find yourself glazing over while watching "Up From Zero," don't be alarmed. That means it's working.