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Wag the Dog

In: Film and Music

Submitted By lillyhara
Words 409
Pages 2
Als dem US-amerikanischen Präsidenten zwei Wochen vor der Wahl vorgeworfen wird, eine minderjährige Schülerin sexuell belästigt zu haben, engagiert sein Wahlkampfteam Conrad „Mr. Fix-It“ Brean, um die Wiederwahl zu retten.
Brean sieht die einzige Möglichkeit darin, die Aufmerksamkeit der Medien auf einen (fiktiven) Krieg zu lenken, den er mit Hilfe des Filmproduzenten Motss in Szene setzt. Die Wahl des Gegners fällt auf Albanien, weil die Öffentlichkeit über dieses Land nichts weiß. Im Studio werden angebliche Augenzeugenberichte produziert, worauf die Nachrichten die Meldung verbreiten, die USA zögen gegen Albanien in den Krieg, nachdem albanische Terroristen eine Atombombe in einem Koffer versteckt in die USA schmuggeln wollten.
Die CIA weiß, dass die Geschichte erlogen ist, und nimmt die Verantwortlichen fest, um diplomatische Konflikte zu vermeiden. Jedoch gelingt es Brean, seinen Kopf aus der Schlinge zu reden. Allerdings heißt es kurz darauf, der Albanien-Krieg sei beendet. Motss, der sich nicht den Wind aus den Segeln nehmen lassen will, kommt auf die Idee, als medialen Gegenschlag einen verschollenen Helden namens William Schumann „Old Shoe“ zu erfinden, der hinter den feindlichen Linien zurückgeblieben ist. Eine Sympathiewelle mit „Shoe“ wird entfacht und gipfelt in der angeblichen Befreiung Schumanns kurz vor dem Wahltag.
Allerdings handelt es sich bei dem ausgesuchten Darsteller Schumanns um einen Sträfling, der eine Nonne vergewaltigt hat und nur mit starken Neuroleptika unter Kontrolle zu halten ist. Auf dem Weg zu seiner triumphalen Rückkehr als „Schumann“ rastet der Sträfling aus und bringt das Flugzeug zum Absturz. Brean, Motss, Shoe und die Präsidentenberaterin Winifred Ames gelangen unverletzt zu einer Tankstelle, wo Shoe die Tochter des Pächters belästigt, da seine Psychopharmaka keine Wirkung mehr zeigen. Darauf wird er vom Pächter erschossen. Nach dem ersten Schreck kommt dies den Spin Doctors durchaus gelegen, da sie nun keine öffentlichen Auftritte des Sträflings mehr fürchten müssen; stattdessen inszenieren sie nun seine Bestattung auf der Airbase als gefallener Veteran mit allen militärischen Würden.
Motss ist mit seiner Arbeit hochzufrieden. Um so mehr ärgert es ihn, dass im TV den einfallslosen Fernsehwerbespots des Präsidenten der Erfolg zugeschrieben wird, und er entschließt sich dazu, die ganze Sache auffliegen zu lassen. Kurz darauf erfährt man aus den Nachrichten, dass Motss durch einen Herzinfarkt beim Sonnenbaden ums Leben gekommen sei.
In einer weiteren Nachrichtenmeldung am Schluss des Filmes ist von einem erneuten Terroranschlag in Albanien die Rede, der von einem ranghohen Militär mit den Worten kommentiert wird, dass er keinen Zweifel habe, dass nun weitere Truppen nach Albanien geschickt werden.

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