My Fair Laden
The Petraeus Report today reassured the public that Iraq was “a wonderful show” and “a glorious production.” Describing the progress of democracy in the Middle East,the report stated “some things of human significance are at stake and some things of human value are involved. Thanks to the discerning casting, the values are sensitively preserved.”
Unfortunately, the report also raised a few questions. For example, who is Colonel Pickering? And why were the names of Lerner and Loewe crossed out and replaced with those of Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice? Upon further investigation, the Petraeus Report was revealed to be The New York Times’ original review of “My Fair Lady.”
A White House spokesman explained that the apparent plagiarism was simply the administration’s commitment to recycling. “Everything that Brooks Atkinson wrote could also describe Iraq. Aren’t we trying to transform a primitive society into a refined modern country? Iraq is Eliza and President Bush is Professor Higgins! And thanks to the surge, Baghdad is the kind of place you’d sing “On the Street Where You Live”.