JESUS CHRIST & GEORGE BUSH
Raney Aronson, USA, 2004
Tuesday 2 November 2004 9pm-10pm; Wednesday 3 November 12.05am-1am (Tuesday night)
Examining George W Bush's personal religious journey, its impact on his political career and presidency, and the growing influence of America's evangelical Christians.
STORYVILLE
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Nick Fraser
Storyville Series Editor
Jesus Christ and George Bush tells the real story of George Bush's conversion to evangelical Christianity. It doesn't seem as if he performed more than the most perfunctory observances for most of his life, while he was drinking heavily. Someone told him that it was easy to give up drinking if you've got Jesus; and he seems to have taken this advice quite literally.
The film is interesting because, unlike most films about George Bush, it makes no overt judgements. But what is one to make of a politician who spent two years in scripture classes while drying out and who believes that everything in the Bible is literally true? Does he read his CIA briefings with the same degree of credulity?
At the very least, however, one can finish viewing this film with the notion that Bush is a very serious person - and that's not something that you would conclude from watching much of the day-to-day coverage of his political activities, in Europe at least.
