RTFA: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/253290…

Despite a financial crisis for the ages, the catastrophic collapse of a Republican Party crippled by his political legacy, and the highest presidential disapproval rating in the history of American polling, outgoing commander in chief George W. Bush has not completely lost his sense of fun. When Rolling Stone caught up with him at the White House shortly after the holidays for what would turn out to be his final extended sit-down interview as president, the graying but still quite fit Texan had just finished his morning exercycle session in an eagle-emblazoned sweatsuit and was fiddling with a new toy.

“They call it a Wii, or a Mee, or something,” Bush tells me, smiling as he waves a wandlike plastic device in front of a 54-inch plasma TV in the Treaty Room, a large, brightly lit chamber on the second floor of the Executive Residence that traditionally functions as the president’s private study. The president is playing a friendly game of Major League Baseball – the Boston Red Sox against his cherished Texas Rangers – and a computer-rendered Daisuke Matsuzaka drills a hard slider right past him, down and in.

“Huh,” says the president. “Might have to choke up a little.”

Although now used as a game room, the Treaty Room still has a classic feel, with a century-old painting by Theobald Chartran depicting the signing of the peace treaty after the Spanish-American War, and a magnificent mahogany “treaty table” first used by Ulysses S. Grant. A bookshelf on the north wall displays standard-issue Americana such as Poor Richard’s Almanack, but it also contains former swimsuit model Kathy Ireland’s Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will Change Your Life (”There’s a lot of good life stuff in there, a lot of stuff about patience,” the president says) and a well-worn copy of 101 Dumb Dog Deaths (”Makes me laugh every time, especially the one about cow-tipping”).

Matsuzaka delivers again, but the president looks fastball when the pitch is a change. “Damn it!” he shouts, bouncing the Wii wand off an antique globe in the corner. “Goddamn motherfucking shit!”

Mmmmmm – that’s good satire! The treaty room has become so useless and unused that Bush converts it into a game room. Classic!

Of course, the whole article isn’t online, and I don’t have access to the rest of it, but now I’m curious enough to read it in some magazine store.

  • Craiger
    Who the hell gets paid to write this bullshit!
  • tpendragon
    This article is so funny I fell off my chair. Bravo Rolling Stone. The story about the house boy torture was classic and frighteningly believable. This is the first article I've read in Roiling Stone in a long time. Thank-you for the laughs

  • Good read...The satire was so subtle that some readers took it as a real interview. This is reminiscent of H.G. Wells’ "War of the World". For you youngsters, that was a radio show drama narrated by Orson Wells. Many Americans thought it was a real news cast and the insuring mayhem was comical to say the least... only a few people died as a result. I would like to challenge Matt Taibbi and RS to do an equally funny satire on terrorist, Muslims, the Koran and throw in a few funny drawings of the Profit Mohammed. I'm neither a Bush fan nor a gambler but I'm willing to bet that RS doesn't have the eggs to meet the challenge. I know Hunter Thompson would jump at such a challenge but he's dead....
  • Alex
    That article was AMAZING!!!!! It was the probably out and out the funniest thing i have ever read in my life. I was laughing so hard i was crying looking like an idiot at work.
  • JD
    I hear you. I had the opposite reaction though, I was crying so hard I started laughing
  • nelson
    how fucking lame, RS!
    Times are bad enough as it is; satire about Bush and his need to apologize is not good entertainment. It is mental masturbation, and you should be sued. Truth is, he's probably too defeated by his fucked up presidency to fight you about it, but somebody should kick your ass. Go get a real interview, and then you're a writer.
    Expect to see any future issues mailed to my house to be returned to you promptly.
    Stupid, stupid asswipe.
  • farkinga
    I'm pretty skeptical about Rolling Stone apologizing for it... but I
    do want to see a real interview. I don't think Bush has given one yet.
  • Chris
    I thought it was real (That's how well written it was) until I searched for some kind of disclaimer and there it was- "The Interview We "Wish He'd Given.
  • farkinga
    I know - I could really believe Bush acting that way... except for
    the part where he apologizes, but that is only in the print version
    (at least, it wasn't online a few days ago).
  • fumf
    Damn I thought it was real! On a completely different note, did you see the cover of the rolling stone magazine? The image is an extremely life-like 3d computer image of bush.

    http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/01/07/the-new-issue-bush-apologizes-we-wish/
  • amy
    I heard that this wasn't a true interview...
  • fumf
    source?
  • farkinga
    It's TOTALLY not a true interview - the whole thing is satire, but
    it's damn funny! :)
  • placidwater
    Oh Dear Lord! Everything about this story is just ... bad. Hilariously bad, but still bad.
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