Death Wish

Death of a President, the much publicised programme shown on More4 last night, was well made, glossy and expensive-looking. It cleverly combined real footage with drama, even if there was the usual problem of actors unconvincingly playing talking heads.

But what a nasty show. Half way through, one found oneself thinking: why am I watching this?

It was ultimately, a big slice of wish-fulfilment fantasy. One can imagine the original pitch for the project taking place: Bush is assassinated, it’s what everyone wants after all, so big audiences.

In many ways this spiteful and childish exercise proved the utter emptiness and moral and intellectual bankruptcy of anti-Americanism, which in Europe at least has become almost rabid. Turning on your friends, or, even worse, on yourself (which is what in essence anti-Americanism is) is the most cowardly and impotent response to the threats from outside. This programme was, in cultural terms at least, something of a high watermark in self-delusion.