War hero by proxy

Someone is trying hard to associate George Bush with the U.S. Air Force. Perhaps it was Bush's dubious stint with the National Guard that has led to this stunt. Call it: "fighter pilot by proxy."

Over the weekend, I found myself in the Canton-Akron airport (Ohio) and, while waiting there for a brother to fly in from out of town, I was startled by the sight of an Air Force recruitment poster. I only wish I had had a camera to capture it. But let me describe it, so that you can understand my reaction. Pictured on the poster was a handsome, smiling, broad-chinned man wearing a flight jacket and holding a helmet in his hand, apparently standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. What unsettled me was that, despite his bold, handsome features, the man was a stunning likeness of George Bush Jr. It was a muscled-up George Bush minus the characteristic smirk. A man in his fifties with slightly graying hair... not exactly the typical Air Force recruit. I asked an elderly couple standing next to me if they had noticed the likeness, and they gasped out acknowledgment. They, too, were offended by this cheap attempt to bolster the president's macho-militarism by proxy.

What does this suggest about our Air Force? And is the big-brother-like, insidious intrusion of George Bush's likeness the only card left in the conservative hand that tries to brush a portrait of Bush, the military hero and foreign policy strong man? When I see George Bush's face, am I supposed to think "tough, handsome, fighter guy"?

If anyone sees this insult to public intelligence and could manage to post a photo of it, I'd appreciate their doing so...