Bush Faithful Shun 'W.' Opening

Oct. 17, 2008 — -- The most prophetic throwaway line in Oliver Stone's film portrayal of George W. Bush -- the director's favorite -- is uttered at a Texas barbecue during his early run for Congress.

"You're a devil," says Laura Bush, played by Elizabeth Banks, after a flirtatious first meeting with the hard-drinking playboy. "A devil in a white hat."

That paradox -- the 43rd president of the United States as the man who canonized the pre-emptive strike in two wars with the certitude of the moral right -- provides high drama for those who believe Bush is a good, but dangerous man.

In "W.," which opens in theaters today, Stone presents a psychological look at a man -- often empathetic and at times buffoonish -- who rose from privileged Yale frat boy to evangelical convert to the leader of the free world.

As Republican presidential nominee John McCain holds Bush as a political pariah -- "If you want to run against Bush, you should have done it four years ago" -- even the Bush faithful want no part of reliving the drama.

ABCNews.com contacted about 25 Republicans and former Bush administration staffers and found only one -- former Press Secretary Scott McClellan -- who would preview the film and comment on its accuracy. And even he was sqeamish.

"It's hard to sit back and take a look from another perspective," he told ABCNews.com. "It's a tough step to take to come to grips with the fact that things didn't turn out the way we envisioned, and the presidency veered off course. It's tough to accept that when you were part of them."

Several of the people contacted by ABCNews.com said they weren't surprised by McClellan's willingness to talk. Among Bush administration staffers, a group known for holding strong loyalty to the president, McClellan is widely seen as a betrayer for writing a scathing tell-all book about his time under Bush.

"How shocking," said Trent Duffy, McClellan's assistant from 2003 to 2006.