Oh, Joy

And what do you bet it gets rave reviews?

British television channel More4 plans to broadcast a dramatic film, documentary-style, about a fictional assassination of U.S. President George W. Bush, the network's head said Thursday.

The program uses actors and digital manipulation of real footage to show a fictional account of Bush being gunned down after delivering a speech in Chicago, Peter Dale, the head of More4, told a news conference.

"Death of a President," also scheduled to be shown at the Toronto Film Festival in September, focuses on all those linked to the pretend crime — including nearby anti-war protesters, suspects, Secret Service guards and investigators, Dale said.

... "It's a pointed political examination of what the war on terror did to the American body politic," [Dale] said.

Dale said he expected the film would upset some, but defended it as a sophisticated piece of work.

"It's not sensationalist, or simplistic but a very thought-provoking, powerful drama," he said. "I hope people will see that the intention behind it is good."

I am sure they will. Never would it be seen as, say, some sort of vicarious flailing wish-fulfillment of impotent rage and political ignorance disguised as "art." And I'm sure the current state of America is a topic Peter Dale knows intimately and understands well, sitting in his London office and watching the BBC and reading the Guardian.

UPDATE: Newsroom reaction to this story: Reporter 1: Enthusiastic reading of story. Editor 2: "No comment; I'm trying to stay out of Guantanamo."