Get Small

No matter how hard they tried, for a good seven years or so, plenty of Americans couldn't forget that George W. Bush was president of the United States. But with all the excitement about the ongoing slugfest between Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over who will challenge presumptive Republican nominee John this fall, it's tough for many folks to remember that Dubya nominally remains the Most Powerful Man on Earth.

That's among the challenges facing the makers of Lil' Bush, an animated series that portrays George and his pals as children in the dubious tradition of The Flintstone Kids and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo — and unfortunately, the second season's initial episode, which debuts tonight, only reinforces the notion that Bush-related humor has passed its sell-by date. Supporting characters in the episode include the Lil' Dems, but timely appearances by Clinton and Obama are undercut by a supporting cast peopled by the likes of John Kerry, who's about as relevant these days as Michael Dukakis. Likewise, Bush's sidekicks include the Iggy Pop-voiced Lil' Rummy, a miniaturized version of Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned as Secretary of Defense in late 2006, and Karl Rove, now ensconced as a blabby election analyst on Fox News. Rove's mouthpiece is Kevin Federline — an idea that seems funnier than it proves to be in execution. But that's typical of a show fated to win approval ratings every bit as low as those currently being earned by its namesake.

Lil' Bush airs at 11:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
Thu., March 13, 2008