Zero Day's uncannily apolitical Washington

IN AN EARLY SCENE OF THE NETFLIX THRILLER ZERO DAY, a former U.S. President is visiting the site of a deadly Manhattan subway crash when an onlooker starts shouting about crisis actors.

- BY JUDY BERMAN

De Niro and Bassett play two American Presidents whose politics remain a total mystery

A fight breaks out. Barricades fall. The chaos horrifies George Mullen, a revered leader played by Robert De Niro, who has been summoned to soothe the public after a cataclysmic event. "What's the matter with you?" he scolds the agitator. "If we keep shouting at each other, what are we gonna accomplish? We're Americans!... You're afraid. And you think if you get worked up over some bullsh-t conspiracy nonsense, that won't make you afraid? No.

You're not behaving like an American, nor a patriot." It's a cathartic rant, even if you're aware that it takes more than a stern lecture from an authority figure to cure conspiracy thinking-and especially if you've been less than impressed with the moral instincts or off-the-cuff oratory of our last few real Commanders in Chief. Intelligent, principled, and brave, Mullen has all the qualities any reasonable person would want in a President. As an admirer marvels, he was also "the last President in modern memory who was able to consistently rally bipartisan support." Which raises the questions: What political party does Mullen actually represent? What policies did he champion, and what did he accomplish?