Editor’s Note: Over the next two weeks, DCist will be bringing you a veritable onslaught of coverage of the first annual Capital Fringe Festival, which kicks off today. Here, we share with you our critic’s take on The Worst President Ever, which we caught last month before its festival premiere — check back in regularly for more crucial Capital Fringe info as the Festival unfolds..

Oppressive acronyms. Mary Cheney. Ann Coulter. Britney Spears.

These are just some of the many targets of Rick Fiori’s one-man show, The Worst President Ever, which tackles the policies of President Bush and the culture surrounding him. The less-than-gentle piece has flashes of clever writing, but never quite transcends its haphazard feel and “preaching-to-the-choir” mentality.

Fiori’s main persona for President is absolutely crushing on Bush, though his bizarro justifications for W’s policies show us where the author’s politics really lie (“Who needs any more rice or sand?” he asks innocently when justifying the invasion of Iraq instead of North Korea). Fiori has some decent one-liners up his sleeve, and the adaptable nature of his show keeps us wondering what he’ll hammer next–it’ll be interesting to see how he takes on this month’s political hot-buttons, such as the stem cell veto. Unfortunately, Stephen Colbert has spoiled us when it comes to satirical right-wing skewering, and Fiori’s valley girl delivery wears thin by the show’s end.