Mad #309 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Poppy Bush Issue - March 1992

Frank Jacobs summarizes the main problem for George H.W. Bush in the 1992 election ("The Rhyme of the Ailing President"), and artist Gerry Gersten delivers another of his classic drawings: Bush and VP Dan Quayle as the albatross around his neck.  This parody of Rime of the Ancient Mariner by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) says all you need to know about that one-term presidency.  An earlier parody of the poem by Tom Koch and Don Martin appeared in Mad #200 ("Rime of the Modern Skateboarder").  Mr. Jacobs has one more comment about the president in a multiple-choice answer for question 10 ("Mad's Practice S.A.T. Questions") - "The best title for this story is: ... (C) Bush: Wimp With an Army ..."  However, the nation's memory was short as Poppy's son was elected in 2000 after eight years of prosperity under President Clinton.  Also, it seems that 2008 candidate John McCain failed to learn from the Dan Quayle mistake.  Fortunately, the majority of voters had better memories. [JAM 2/25/2012]

Reader Neil Wahlert adds the following comment about "Mad's Christmas Carols for Modern Times" by Tom Koch: "... (the) article, appearing as it did in the March issue, was ill-timed as ... Mad always did its holiday season pieces in the January issue.  The March issues had always hit the newsstands two or three days AFTER Christmas ...  It's kind of like the situation with Frank Jacobs' 'Song Textbook' coming out in the July '67 issue, and being distributed in mid-May, when students and faculty alike are more than primed to get out!"

Departments:
Lifestyles of the Rich And Heinous - Beverly Hills 911
Passing the Buccaneer - Drama on Page 9  [not page 20]
Oy to the World - Mad's Christmas Carols for Modern Times
Backed-Up Suers - If Other Historical Eras Had Been As Lawsuit Happy As Ours Is Today
Having a Service Breakdown - Other Diseases of the Machine World
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Phasing Reality - The Mad Stages of
A Kick in the Gas - Drama on Page 20  [not page 9]
Prime Timing - Mad's Minute-by-Minute Breakdown of Popular TV Shows
Frank on a Roll - The Rhyme of the Ailing President
Just Dual-ing Around - Using Sports Equipment in Everyday Life
Art for Bart's Sake - An Underachiever Is
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Tools
Get the Flunk out of Here - Mad's Practice S.A.T. Questions
Shop Therapy - Duck Edwing Hangs Out at the Mall
Going Bakula in Time - Quandary Heap
Seals of Disapproval - New Cabinet Level Departments We'd Like to See

Fold-In - Empty Pockets