A paper-mache effigy of President George W. Bush with his pants on fire turned heads on campus Monday morning.
The statue, built by Ben Cohen, founder of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, has been to seven states since November.
Jesse Kern, an anthropology junior, brought the float to ASU and displayed it on the south end of the Memorial Union on Monday at about 10:30 a.m. The statue was seen in a truck driving through Tempe later in the day.
"The point is to get a reaction from people and get them thinking about issues of accountability and truth, what we expect and what we expect our leaders to tell us," Kern said.
Kern, who opposes American involvement in Iraq, said he hopes to raise awareness and create dialogue.
"We were poking fun and using satire to get people to stop and think about something that has very serious moral implications," said Kern.
Jordan Smith, a psychology junior and director of community service for the Students for Bush at ASU, said he was not impressed by the representation of President Bush.
"I didn't stick around to get a look and give them the pleasure of the attention," Smith said. "There are plenty of wackos around, it doesn't matter what they're supporting."
Chris Kark, a political science sophomore, said he felt the demonstration was "Bush bashing" more than constructive because it was not supporting an alternative.
"I didn't necessarily agree with it," Kark said. "It wasn't completely untrue, but it was oversimplified."
Kern encountered both positive and negative reactions to the Bush likeness, including one girl calling him a "moron."
Kern, however, remained optimistic about the impact it would have.
"It's what happens after the reaction that contributes to the dialogue," he said.
Reach the reporter at elias.arnold@asu.edu.
