Decked out

The pacesetters of pop culture rarely emerge from the Department of Defense, where the search for weapons of mass destruction outstrips the hunt for the next mood ring.

But when it came to Iraq's "Most Wanted" playing cards, the military wonks were way ahead of the pack.

Since the now-famous cards were handed out to troops last year, political lampoonists have anted up with decks of their own. Targets include the Bush administration, the California recall election and white-collar crime scandals.

"Whether you wrap yourself in a flag or use a deck of cards to sell a war ... it leaves a lot of material for people like us to make fun of," said New York-based Zach Levy, co-creator of a deck known as "Bush Cards."

In many ways, the decks function as souvenirs of contemporary events, and just as quickly become relics of yesterday's news. Into that category might fall the "Total Recall" deck, which features 52 of the candidates who ran for governor in California last fall, and the Howard Dean deck, which details his political rise.

Anything above the fold on a newspaper's front page for more than 10 days that is of a political and controversial nature has obvious potential as a deck of cards, said Michael Dalton Johnson, of Vista, Calif., who makes "Total Recall" and "Axis of Weasels" decks and sells them on his Web site.

Officials at the Defense Intelligence Agency, which originally conceived of the Iraq cards, said they simply wanted a useful tool for soldiers in the field. Although they did not foresee the ensuing phenomenon, a spokesman said they are not surprised.

"The playing cards just re-awoke an interest or a hobby that was already out there. Playing cards with enemy aircraft and enemy ships have been around for years. There's a whole hobby behind collecting these types of things," said Lt. Cmdr. James Brooks, a DIA spokesman.

Still, the Bush administration's prominent use of the "Most Wanted" cards invited parody, said Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.

So while Ali Hassan al-Majid, or "Chemical Ali," was the king of spades in the Iraq deck, Karl Rove, Bush's senior political adviser, takes that honor in the Bush deck. On a deck billed as the "United Nations of Weasels," weapons inspector Hans Blix ranks as the eight of spades, while documentarian Michael Moore -- a frequent critic of the war in Iraq -- is the king of hearts.

Thompson said the cards' success rests in their appeal to entrenched political viewpoints. "Everybody knows somebody who hates Hillary Clinton, so if you if see that deck for sale, you buy it for them," he said.

No matter their content, the concept has been a moneymaker for some.

The first "Most Wanted" deck made available to the public was an unqualified success for U.S. Playing Cards of Cincinnati, said Vice President of Sales Scott Kling, although he would not disclose sales figures. That deck spawned many unlicensed copycats, readily available from street vendors and on the Internet.

Levy, who sells "Bush Cards" on the Internet and in bookstores nationwide, said he has sold about 70,000 decks since the end of last summer.

And Johnson said he's peddled 500,000 "Total Recall" decks through his Web site alone. He charges $6.95 a pack, a typical price for the decks.

Johnson, who describes himself as apolitical, said he concentrates on cards critical of liberal figures because the audience is larger.

"There's a certain anger and emotional content to the right wing message," he said. "You don't get the left as excited about George Bush as the right was with Bill Clinton."

In producing the satirical "Bush Cards," Levy said he wanted to make a political statement. Near the president's old office in Texas, at least a few people are taking a look.

Sales of "Bush Cards" are brisk at the Tesoros Trading Co. near the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, with about 1,000 decks sold since November, said assistant manager Philip Moody.

"I'm really looking forward to election time to see if sales pick up even more," he said.