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POLITICAL SATIRE A WINNER

August 12, 2007 12:35 am

IN THIS fun satire about the machinations of D.C. hotshots, Godwin Pope stars as the wealthy, bachelor vice president who plots to take over the presidency. Pope is much smarter than the good ol' boy president Jack Mahone. But Mahone had that dopey charm that politicos call "electability," and voters interpreted Pope's intelligence as elitism, so Mahone gets the party's nomination and Pope ends up as frustrated, undervalued number two.

A dumb president does dumb things, and soon the administration is under fire for failed policies. But one day, Pope gets a brilliant idea. He thinks he can take advantage of the president's weaknesses to get Mahone impeached and himself propelled to the No. 1 slot.

Like any good satire, "The Coup" relies on very believable plot points that were probably ripped right from actual headlines: A destructive hurricane that makes the president look bad. A president who sleeps around. Overly ambitious White House aides grubbing for attention. An unethical journalist.

The story is fun because we know these people from real life, in one way or another. Sometimes it's hard to tell who to cheer for though, the dopey president, the type-A vice president, or the journalist who thinks she can figure out the real scam, but it almost doesn't matter.

Jamie Malanowski has crafted a witty story from the wreckage of the last two administrations.

Ashley Messenger is a freelance writer living in Stafford County.