Dear Editor:
As the designer of the George W. Bush puppet used in the peace march, I feel I should respond publicly to Josh McKinney’s demand for my apology, and try to explain my intentions for building the aforementioned puppet.
First, I should point out that the idea isn’t all that original. There is a precedent for over-sized puppets used in the context of political activism. Personally, I was inspired by the artistry of the Vermont-based activist group Bread and Puppets whose work I had the opportunity to admire at anti-war rallies in Boston and Washington, D.C. I thought their large-scale figures, manned by teams of puppeteer-activists, were extremely effective in conveying their message and hard – if not impossible – to ignore. I think a puppet used in this way becomes political theatre of sorts – a kind of giant walking editorial cartoon.
The signs I painted for those protests and others have always been visual in nature, with few or no words, because I feel I often express myself better with images. I also used to draw political cartoons for my college newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon, during the run-up to and early months of the war. One of the cartoons, published before we invaded Iraq, also depicted Bush as a cowboy: the caption underneath reads “George W. Bush, President and Gambler;” he wears a Stetson hat and clutches a hand of cards, looking nervously over his shoulder; his thought bubble reads “Here goes nothin’…”
I have no intention of trying to ridicule Mr. Bush’s private life. But as a public official who makes public policy, he is subject to satire, which is often the only tool left to the powerless against those who control power – an attack comprised not of bombs and bullets, but pen and ink, as well as chicken wire and papier-mache.
If Mr. McKinney hadn’t been so angrily transfixed by the puppet, he would have noticed an abundance of “anti-Bush” sentiment expressed among the marchers. And rightfully so: I believe that to be critical of the rationale for this war, the planning for this war, and the prosecution and management of this war, is to be critical of the Bush administration. The proverbial “buck” ultimately stops at the Oval Office – as far as Iraq goes, anyway.
In closing, I don’t feel like I need to offer an apology to anyone – except, perhaps, to a small child who may have been frightened by the puppet, in which case I would lay down my crude effigy and gently explain that it is, after all, just a puppet.
-Bradley Foster Smith,
Artist

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