Homer Simpson and George W. Bush: A Comparison

Pres. George W. Bush has been compared to many people. Everyone from Adolf Hitler to Ronald Reagan. (Excuse me, if I say that's not the biggest leap in the world). But the personage who really bears the most remarkable resemblance to our President may surprise you. Let's compare.

George W. Bush is a self-admitted recovering alcoholic. Homer Simpson is an unrepentant drunk. One of his mottos: To alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems. Homer did manage to give up drinking for a whole month in one episode, but quickly returned to his old ways. Dubya, on the other hand, has convinced the majority of Americans that he has been on the wagon for many years. A look at the decisions he has made while in office, however, leads one to question his assertion. Homer had made many incredibly bad decisions while under the influence of Duff Beer, but none as horrifically misguided or dangerous as invading Iraq based on the assertion of "knowing where the WMDs are" when, in fact, there were none there at all. Is it too much to question that Bush was back to drinking ways when he ignored the Katrina catastrophe, or said sure, America stands for torture prisons and illegal spying.

Both George W. and Homer Simpson were less than stellar students. Bush was a solid C student. Homer somewhat less than that. Both men, however, managed to make into college. In fact, both men made it into college despite grades that would have kept other men out. How? Through the efforts of rich benefactors. For Homer, it was Montgomery C. Burns' influence that got him into college. For Bush, it was dad. Being a legacy at Yale as its advantages. Somewhere out there is a man who didn't get into Yale the year Bush did. He didn't get in despite having superior grades, and no doubt superior intelligence. Maybe he got into Dartmouth or Princeton. Or even Harvard. But how would his life had been different if he had managed to get into Yale? And if Bush didn't have an influential last name? He might have gotten into Dartmouth or Princeton. But most likely Bush would be a graduate of some community college. And the world would be a better place.