'24' Fans: What President Logan Can Teach Viewers About Bush

[Tool Fan]

Logan: You have no idea what it's like until you've sat in my chair.
Heller: Your chair is not a throne, Charles.



36 million people tune in every week to see '24', more than ever tune in to see The President of the United States give a State of the Union address. America cares more about it's TV than it's politics, so why not meet them on their territory? That many fans of Jack Bauer can't be wrong.

In Season 4 of '24', President Logan was the bumbling idiot thrown into the Presidency with little notice and no experience, like our friend George Bush. He required the help of former President David Palmer to save America from a deadly nuclear attack. The same spineless Commander-in-Chief reappears in Season 5 making the same crappy decisions, only to be discovered as "helping the terrorists" this time around.

So what can Logan teach us about Bush?

President Logan is a traitor; President Bush is not.

But they follow the same ideology: the end justifies the means when it comes to securing American oil interests.

To President Logan, his contribution to the terrorist attacks is justified by the impending result he foresees, an America not desperate for the fuel to drive their cars and heat their homes .

To President Bush, the loss of American lives in Iraq, the "cowboy"-style foreign policy, is all justified by the results they foresee, an America not desperate for the fuel to drive their cars and heat their homes.

That's why we're in Iraq, that's why we're toiling with Iran. We're "protecting American interests". Controversial things like domestic wiretapping, torture in foreign prisons, the war in Iraq itself are all justified by the idea that the government is doing what is best for America. Bloody hell, the Bush Administration could murder a kitten on live television and get away with it if they tell us they're doing it "in the country's best interest." Patriotism goes a long way in America.

'24's Secretary of Defense James Heller, confronted President Logan on tonight's episode about his role in the terrorist attacks. When Logan gave Heller the "I did it for America" crap, Heller fires back at him, ""You think that justifies the blood on your hands?" We should be asking the guy who's really in charge the same questions....

[Shine]

1. Many would say Bush IS a "traitor", actually. n/t

[Tool Fan]

2. True, but if you're trying to be "technical",

Bush obviously isn't the "traitor" Logan is.

[El Fuego]

4. Why not? He IS a traitor.

He lied to the American people to take the nation to war.

And he MAY have delibrately allowed 9-11 to happen by ignoring the obvious signs. Here's the smoking gun: the neocon manifesto "Rebuilding America's Defenses" (written in part by Scooter Libby and Wolfowitz) which outlines a plan to make the U.S. an imperial military power in the 21st century. In order to jumpstart this new neocon order the document states taht a "catastrophic and catylzing event like Pearl Harbor" would be needed to bring about policy change. It was published in September 2000, a year before 9-11.

http://www.newamericancentury.org/publicationsreports.htm (See page 63)

[El Fuego]

3. I was thinking the same thing

The writers of "24" have to be making deliberate allusions to the bush presidency.

But the only difference is that the fictional President Logan is a smart, cunning man pretending to be a simpleton, and bush really is the idiot he appears to be.

[Alleycat]

5. This was one of the best lines last night!

Logan: You have no idea what it's like until you've sat in my chair.
Heller: Your chair is not a throne, Charles.


Also like Jack's line in the hanger:
"this country has no integrity as long as he is the President"