Fixed!

This is one small example of why I am so on the fence on how to feel with this film. I found it a huge error of Stone to even use this quote in the film. Not because it's such a "shooting fish in a barrel" quote(and one of the easiest of them all, out of a HUGE barrel), but for how carelessly Stone takes the quote out of context to use it to illustrate Bush as somehow cute to his peanut gallery.

It adds a whole new dimension to view this film so closely to his actual deeds as President, to see someone try portray him as a simpleton on a stage(edit: I'll note I don't see this as any singular theme in this film, but certainly something Stone tries to emphasize). While in itself it may be relatively harmless, it's simultaneously almost condescending to think that somehow *this* is a portrait that could be portrayed as a memory of Bush to future generations. Surely this is just a paranoid vision, but then again, so is the Bush legacy.

Oliver Stone is a fascist says Richard Dreyfuss

I didn't realize how retarded The View was, until now.

better late then never.

But think of how less retarded it will be if brain dead Hasselback leaves!

She can't leave--there won't be room on the couch for any plausible replacement.

Palin will be available soon.

Although a little silly at times, I found the film pretty entertaining throughout. Not sure we learn much, and it's certainly far from subtle in pressing the conclusion that W. wanted to prove himself to his father, but it was interesting to see a dramatization of Bush's formative years. While the film is rather jumpy while making quick hits on various moments of the Bush presidency, the pace is brisk and the tone shifts interesting (if not always successful). But it's an attempt at a psychological portrait rather than a political document

Loved Dreyfuss as Cheney. Brolin is solid as Bush. And part of the fun of the film is picking out who is who. Thandie looked great as Condi, but had nothing to do, and did what little she had poorly. I got Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz mixed up at times, as the actor playing Rummy didn't look much like him. Rumsfeld had that 50's throwback Vitalis look, that for a time made him a sex symbol among the geriatric set (anyone remember that wretched interlude?).
The film of course swirls around the not very introspective George W. Bush, but the supporting cast sometimes was left with little to grasp on to. I quite liked one scene where Bush abruptly leaves a meeting in exasperation, and we wait and watch to see who follows him out and tags along.

The music choices throughout were rather odd and unusual. For some reason the final scene or two put me in mind of Woody Allen (I think it was the use of music and the look). I kind of liked the whimsical open-ended conclusion. Though if the film had been shot later, I would have ended the film with Bush ducking the incoming shoe during the Iraq press conference.

Two oddities I wanted to point out:
1) There seemed to be one scene where a post-conversion Pres. W. is watching a college football game, eating pretzels with his dog and drinking a beer. Perhaps it was an earlier flashback I lost track of, and it's not positively shown to be a beer, but that seemed an odd moment/comment if indeed it was after W. was self-proclaimed dry.
I thought Stone was making some comment about hypocrisy or backsliding, but it was dropped and not followed up on.

2) In the big meeting scene early on, debating about going after Iraq, Cheney walks over to the projected map, and Tibet is shown as not being part of China. I know that the Chinese have old maps showing Mongolia and every island in the South China Sea as part of China, but are there really Western maps with Tibet separate from China? Seemed an odd thing to show the top US leadership working from such a map.

It was an O'Douls Beer (Non Alcoholic).

Okay, that would make sense.
I guess they showed the label? (I'm not familiar with O'Douls).
Thanks for the explanation.
That beer drinking was noticeable and had me expecting something more. My mistake.

Now about that map ...
[And incidentally it's disconcerting that my image of The Big Board has now been replaced by a boring Powerpoint world map]