Americans embraced the first "Star Wars" in 1977. Its energy and optimism seemed like a sparkling tonic during a dreary decade of decline. Then in the 1980s, an obscure congressman from Georgia named Newt Gingrich insisted that "Star Wars" had prefigured Ronald Reagan's election to the White House.

To Gingrich and other Republicans, it all made sense. Darth Vader led an evil empire; so did the Soviet leaders in the Kremlin. Thus Americans — the Huck Finn-like character of Luke Skywalker being an honorary American — would lead the good-guy rebels to victory in real life, as well as in reel life.

Movie critics writing for the liberal-leaning mainstream media — which was all there was then — didn't want to hear, of course, about the greatness of the Gipper. But Lucas kept his head down, denying any political overtones in his films.

Yet, in the fourth installment of the series, "Phantom Menace," Lucas made some odd choices. In that 1999 film, he introduced Jar Jar Binks, a buffoonish character with a vaguely Rasta man look, walk and talk. And just about all the bad guys in "Phantom" spoke with Asian or Middle Eastern accents.

Even more politically incorrect, Lucas revealed that the Jedi Knights were not a meritocracy, open to all, but rather a race-based category. Would-be Jedi needed a certain blood type. "This is racism," snapped film critic Stuart Klawans, writing in The Nation magazine. The film made money, and so did the 2002 follow-on, but Lucas was stung by the criticism.

So he has fixed these problems with "Sith." First off, Jar Jar Binks is reduced to a few brief scenes — and not a single word of dialogue.

Second, even more shrewdly, Lucas has outed himself, ideologically: He compares George W. Bush to Darth Vader. In a line that the critics are raving about, Anakin/Vader says, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." That's a clear play on President Bush's famous line from his speech to Congress on Sept. 20, 2001: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

So there you have it: In Lucas' imagination, America is the evil empire.

Yet, in addition to Bush-bashing, Lucas went even further. He confides to reporters that none other than President Nixon inspired him to create the original "Star Wars" in the '70s. Nixon, of course, is the all-time Great Satan of liberal political demonology. Lucas went on to draw parallels between the Vietnam War then and the Iraq War now.

No wonder so many critics love the new movie.

Writing for Slate.com, David Edelstein praises the "anti-fascist politics" of "Sith." And who's the fascist? Well, that would be the president. Playing on the name of the film's arch fiend, Darth Sidious, Edelstein lauds Lucas for taking a "palpable swipe at our own Darth Dub-yous." The allegorical politics of "Sith" are so unmistakable that the headline in The Hollywood Reporter reads, "Lucas film strikes back at Bush."

Will American audiences flock to a Bush-bashing movie? Perhaps not. But there's more to life than money. Writing in The New York Times, A.O. Scott commends "Sith" for warning audiences about the dangers of militarism, Manichaeanism and thinking in "absolutes." And so, Scott concludes, it's better than the original "Star Wars."

Lucas' comeback plan has worked. Maybe fewer tickets will be sold here, but more will be sold overseas, where Bush-bashing sells. In the meantime, Lucas will have those awards, honors and "top 10" lists to look forward to. There are some things that can't be bought with money; they can only be bought with ideology.