Boycott American Idol

Last night at the end of American Idol, George and Laura Bush appeared to say thanks to the show and its viewers for generating millions of dollars in support for a variety of causes in Africa and America.

Anyone with either a brain or a heart should have thrown up.

And then you should boycott American Idol.

Why?

1. Because George Bush has singlehandedly done more to harm humanitarian causes than any other human being on the planet - ever. (See: Iraq War, Afghanistan War, tax cuts for the wealthy, elimination or curtailment of programs for the poor, callousness toward victims of Katrina, reductions in aid to other countries, etc.)

2. Because yesterday was the fourth anniversary of Bush's infamous "Mission Accomplished" speech, in which he declared, “Major combat operations have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” (See yesterday's post for a chart showing exactly what Bush meant by "ended" and "prevailed.") Both that speech and last night's appearance on American Idol were ill-timed, disingenuous, and cynical attempts to increase support for the war and boost Bush's approval ratings.

3. Because yesterday was also the day Bush vetoed the bill presented to him by Congress demanding a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. This bill not only would have provided the financial support needed to sustain the troops in Iraq for 10 more months, but would have given them hope for an end to their otherwise interminable tours of duty. By March of next year, most of them would have been back home with their families, where they belong. It would have given meaning to the words "Support our troops." But Bush said no - and then appeared on American Idol to show us what a great guy he is. Again, cynical beyond belief.

4. Because George Bush's good friend Rupert Murdoch is the Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, which owns both American Idol and Fox News - Bush's biggest cheerleader. Murdoch is in the midst of trying to acquire (for $5 billion) the Dow Jones Company, a media conglomerate that owns, among other things, the Wall Street Journal. If you think Murdoch's influence was vast before, wait till he's in charge of all the news you read about Wall Street. Do you think it's mere coincidence that he chose this particular time - while he's trying to gain SEC approval to control most of America's financial news - to pull his American Idol charity publicity stunt? Do you think it's mere coincidence that George Bush appeared on American Idol to show his "support" for Murdoch's efforts? We don't.

Boycott American Idol. And while you're at it, boycott Fox News, MySpace (yes, Murdoch owns that, too), and all of Murdoch's attempts to expand his empire.