Heads of State

The news story: The final episode of HBO's Game of Thrones included a scene in which a replica of President George W. Bush's head is displayed on a stake in several scenes. Shipments of the DVDs have been halted, and the scenes will be cut from future broadcast and distribution.

Read about it: ABC News | Boston Globe | Hollywood Reporter

The thought exercise: Is the President such a public figure that there's no line that can't be crossed when it comes to using his image in entertainment and political speech, or should a line be drawn and never crossed? And if there ought to be a line, how far is too far? And what about non-President citizens who look like the other heads on the other spikes?

Goose, meet gander: A Florida pastor hanged President Obama in effigy about a week before the Game of Thrones story made headlines. Looking for an entertainment-related analogy? He's been portrayed in comic books as a barbarian, a participant in erotic manga and more.