The political connections between the latest Star Wars movie and the Republicans in DC have already been the subject of widespread discussion. It’s about to get much funnier.
The New York Times’ A.O. Scott, for example, noted that George Lucas is “clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders” with the sixth and final installment of the Star Wars series.
At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, “If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy.” Obi-Wan’s response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: “Only a Sith thinks in absolutes.”
Likewise, the Toronto Sun reported, “Star Wars is a wakeup call to Americans about the erosion of democratic freedoms under George W. Bush, filmmaker George Lucas said yesterday.”
But if you thought the connections were subtle references in the movie, wait till this afternoon on the Senate floor.
I’ve been informed that a certain senator will, as part of the debate over the nuclear option, use an important visual aide to deliver his point: a large picture of a certain Star Wars villain, who, if you’ve seen the movies, circumvented the democratic process to seize and abuse power.
It’ll be on the Senate floor at 3pm Eastern and it’s bound to be hilarious. You can watch it live on C-SPAN 2. You’ll also be able to watch it later on Crooks & Liars.
Update: Here’s the video.