Onion's long form joke?

Is there something going on at The Onion? Ever since Obama was elected, it's run a series of short articles about terrible, painful, violent things that have happened to President Bush, including:

Tumbling down the entire staircase of the Washington Monument
Having his arm bitten off by a crocodile
Passing a three-pound kidney stone
Getting dragged behind the presidential motorcade

It's a dark turn for the satirical website, and I wonder if it's leading up to something, or just a way for writers to take out their frustrations over a long, dubious eight-year rule.

Edited Dec. 10 to add:
.... and another particularly gross one.