Two Bad Neighbors (S07, E13-141)

If Bush used this tactic in his 92 re-election bid, could he have won?  ...no.

Plot Summary
Homer likes living in his neighborhood, Evergreen Terrace.  He also likes being a big shot in said neighborhood.  That same neighborhood is hosting a rummage sale, though it starts off rather slowly.  Homer finds a way to liven up the sale with a sing and dance routine, and soon people are listening to his every word.  However, a short time later, new neighbors have moved into the large mansion that just happens to be across the Simpson home.  Quickly its revealed that the new neighbor is former President George H.W. Bush, who steals all of Homer's thunder with the reveal.

As Homer becomes increasingly annoyed with all the attention given to Bush, the Flanders family visits the former President.  Both Rod and Todd, however, make mention to George to be weary of a certain young boy, namely Bart Simpson.  Soon enough, Bart starts hanging around the Bush house, making himself to be a Dennis the Menace type troublemaker.  The trouble making reaches a climax when Bart's mischief leads to the shredding of Bush's just-finished memoir.  As punishment, Bush grabs Bart and spanks him, twice.  The act is the final straw for Homer (though Bart doesn't explain why he got spanked until its too late to matter), and he begins a verbal tirade on Bush.  Bush, who calls off his secret service after being called a "wimp", decides to play along, and the two are officially at war.

Homer and Bart start it off by firing bottle rockets at their house.  Bush tries to respond by putting up a sign indicating the two as "bad neighbors", but its poorly drawn and hard to understand.  Homer and Bart get the drop on Bush again, tricking the former President into thinking his two sons are there, only to glue a rainbow-colored wig on his head.  As Bush drives his car around the Simpson yard in retaliation, he notices Homer and Bart sneaking off in the sewer.  As Bush confronts and fights Homer within, Bart releases a box of locusts which attack Bush.  At the same time, Mikhail Gorbachev arrives with a housewarming gift for the Bushes.  However, he witnesses the fight as it breaks out above the sewer, prompting Barbara Bush to force George to apologize to Homer, much to Homer's delight.  The incident causes Bush to get the hell out of town as soon as possible, no longer willing to deal with Homer or Bart.  The house, though, is immediately bought by former President Gerald Ford, whose love for football, nachos and beer allow him and Homer to get off on the right foot.

Quick Review
Two Bad Neighbors was another fun episode, at the expense of the 41st President but at the same time avoiding any of that nasty political commentary that can ruin anything and everything.  The jokes were great, and seeing George break down as the episode progresses was interesting as well.

Final Score: 9.2