Homer mocks Iraq war

The Simpsons" isS as political as it's ever been this Sunday — and in the annual "Treehouse of Horrors" episode (7 p.m., Ch. 13), of all things.

Oh, it's not like the show hasn't been political before. Mayor Quimby is regularly employed to lampoon politicians in general, and we've seen animated versions of Presidents Gerald Ford, George Bush (the elder) and Bill Clinton.

There was even a great sight gag when a Fox News van was emblazoned with Bush-Cheney campaign banners, but that was lampooning Fox News.

But the political commentary has never been as pointed as it is on Sunday when a "War of the Worlds" parody plays out. At the risk of giving too much away (SPOILER ALERT), aliens Kang and Kodos invade Earth and become an occupying force:

"You said we'd be greeted as liberators!" Kang says.

"Don't worry. We still have the people's hearts and minds," Kodos says, holding up a heart and a brain.

"I'm starting to think Operation Enduring Occupation was a bad idea," Kang says.

"We had to invade. They were working on weapons of mass disintegration," Kodos says.

And if you could possibly have missed the point, Kang says, "This sure is a lot like Iraq will be."

It's the funniest part of the otherwise rather mediocre episode. And it's the kind of joke that not even "The Simpsons" would have dared to make on prime-time network TV a couple of years ago.

Which tells us something about the mood of the nation, doesn't it?

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com