On Friday's episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher", Maher spoke with actor John Cusack about what he is hoping for from a Democratic president. An outspoken critic of the war, Cusack says he would vote for either candidate as long as they say they will ""take all the private contractors out of Iraq and close down an embassy that's probably the size of Atlanta."
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Same old same old.
Cusack does not sufficiently praise Obama and damn Clinton, so he gets slimed here. People who don't even know his politics slam him because he didn't take the opportunity to go after Hillary. Then they go after Maher because he said something about Obama's promises that were true but didn't praise them. What John Cusack said is more important than anything either of the two candidates have said about the war. But that doesn't matter here.
You can't say you're not a cult if you act and think in cult like ways.
John Cusak,
Please attend April 24, 2008 in Oakland regarding impeachment. We need to hold these crooks accountable if we are ever to restore law and order. It is never TOO late nor a distraction for democracy and our Constitution.
We hope to have many local government officials at the event. You involvement will guarantee adequate media and government attention.
michaelsblomquist at gmail.com
You eluded to the mortgage crisis at the end of the Naomi Klein interview. I have written a book on the subject and have plenty of evidence that will show this was another orchestrated catastrophe.
1) Paulson should be arrested for aiding and abetting loan and bank fraud. While he was at the helm of Goldman Sachs most of this toxic debt was originated and also sold through GS.
2) The constant blame placed on state regulators is false and only conceals the real problem. See Eliot Spitzer (This article is the real story behind Spitzer)
http://www
3) Karl Denninger writes:
http://mar
please sign petition
4) The Executive branch issued a directive to the FBI to NOT prosecute fraud for housing. Under the United States Constitution our President is charged with caring for the faithful execution of law. As alleged by Spitzer, Denninger and myself (FBI directive); this is not a question of negligence, but obstruction of justice.
Hillary Clinton stated she would go after the contractors and sponsored the bill to stop permanent military bases in Iraq. Unfortunately few on this blog, and even the Bill Maher show will listen.
Because it's just more clintonizing. "Wolf! Wolf!" in Chickenville, "Chicken! Chicken!" in Wolfville.
who cares what a rich hollywood elitist thinks.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I never, ever choose who to back in a presidential campaign until after Hollywood weighs in.
This is a weird, kind of meaningless clip. But I do think Cusack makes a good point about the responsibility people have to place demands upon their politicians. It's easy to forget that democracies like ours are all about playing to the center. If you're a politician you have a responsibility to do what the average person wants, rather than what the smartest or most compassionate people want. Conceding to that responsibility is not just important in politics, but is necessary for survival, and increasingly so the higher up you get on the food chain. That's why we get Obamas or Clintons as the perennial democratic nominees, rather than people like Kucinich or Gravel. I like Obama's Hopi sound bite about how "we are the ones we've been waiting for," but that of course does not mean Obama. It truly does mean us. Obama's just a politician, and he's going to disappoint us all like Clinton has. I hope we are all prepared for that, and also to continue fighting for change in a manner that exceeds our fantasy candidate.
Is this an important actor?
Who cares what he thinks?
Actually, he IS important because he has the courage and integrity to speak out about an issue that too many people know little about. This clip only showed a short segment of his interview. The important aspect was not "who he was going to vote for in the coming election," but rather, to get the public to hear and react to facts regarding the Bush Administration's deliberate plan to use disasters either in our country (i.e., 9/11 and Katrina) or others, with promises to protect our homeland or to rebuild, when in reality it is solely for the purpose of making certain private companies (whose stockholders and CEO's are congressmen and government officials), very, very, very rich on government money.
Meanwhile, American people are feeling let down and bewildered. They still can't make ends meet, or afford good health care, and are losing their homes. Where is the money going that would help "build" our country? Questions we should be asking the presidential nominees.
That is what John Cusack is trying to do -- he is trying to get us to sit up and take notice of this unconscionable injustice that has been taking place right under our noses. Don't be so foolish to think that they are just taking advantage of another country. Privatization has been crippling this country in many ways and quite on purpose. My biggest fear is that by the time we sit up and take notice it will be too late.
Political thoughts are just that. Why must we talk about entertainment and politics getting blurred?
What if I as an ex Pipefitter have political thoughts? Just because he has a stage to give his thoughts does it make them wrong?
I may, or may not agree with his thoughts, just as I may or may not agree with the thoughts of many people that are interviewed both in print and on the screen.
I, may also listen to their comments or I may not.
It is showing your ignorance and hatred for those you may or may not agree with.
Being socially and politicly correct is not a requirement to have a thought. Hust listen or not, agree or not. Do not blame the occupation of a person with a thought for your support or hatred.
Please can we use some thoughtfullness and dignity in our conversations about our and others beliefs?
The only candidate that proposed to get out of Iraq. I mean literally do u-turns with the Navy and pull all the troops out, was Ron Paul. And you see how he was treated. Apparently, unless your a movie star or you look like a Ken doll, it doesn't matter. BO in 08!
Gravel said he would end Blackwater with an executive order.
DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB, PAL.
Kudos to John Cusack. I don’t think Bill Maher is going to stay on anything that’s too controversial. I know he’s brought up war profiteering before but doesn’t real want to talk to much about it. Just like when he brought up Elliot Spitzer he real didn’t get into why he was silenced. I’m sure he’s afraid of touching that one too. I used to like Bill Maher but lately I’m seeing him wimp out a lot or just playing it to safe.
I get the impression that the only thing Maher cares about, is Maher.
I have often found when studying the point of privatization one of two things to be true: 1, it is an attempt to cut the wages of government employees. Government employees earning a fair wage are cut and slave labor is hired at a lower cost.; or we find 2. The contract to do the work is handed off to a friend of a politician and there is a large profit to be made. I think Iraq is the latter not the former; where Blackwater and Haliburton are making obscene amounts of our tax dollars.
It's both. And who was the CEO of Halliburton/KBR until he took office? Some nice fat offshore accounts for Darth waiting in '09.
And Rumsfeld was a Big Pharma CEO. The Republicants, almost to a man/woman, have institutionalized corporate welfare at the expense of the tax payers. The whole notion of 'government is bad' is trumpeted by those who have made government 'bad.' In fact, they've given 'big business' a bad name due to their extravagances.
Cusack said, get the private contractors out of Iraq. What Maher responded to was, getting out of Iraq in general. Maher missed the point.
Cusack is right, I think. The contractors answer to private corporations and are not in the military chain of command. Also, Bremer made contractors immune to Iraqi law. Meanwhile American military are being prosecuted.
The invasion was wrong, but the planning and implementation were FUBAR beyond belief. Bush-Rumsfeld outsourced the use of force and the contractors are outside the rule of law. In some places, our own military was tasked to protect contractors who are paid ten times their salaries.
Many employees of the contractors need the money. They aren't bad people. But relying on private contractors for military use of force as the US and Britain are doing is undermining our own military in a dumb war.
Lay off Cusack, at least he gives a damn. I don't see Britney, Brad and Angie weighing in on anything but their scales.
Oh? come on down to New Orleans and see the homes Brad Pitt is building..
So what have you done lately but talk?
I remember seeing video of Sean Penn in a small boat, helping to rescue people stranded by Katrina.
I really appreciate what he has to say about Naomi Klein and the corporacracy that is running this country. Read Free Lunch about how the government is feeding the corporations on the carcasses of the working class... How much more can they squeeze out of the dying middle class... before we decide to throw the bums out..
I do have serious reservations about our lite democrats and the campaign funding... Both of them need to be more populist and go after McCain as the straw man that he is. At this point attacking each other is pointless, we need to bury the republicans not just for the White House but also Congress and the Senate and get serious about FRaud and Abuse....a
Sen. Gravel said he would end Blackwater etc with an executive order. He said the only cutting edge industry America has now is the arms industry. Around the world, people are choosing colleges in other countries to send their kids to now instead of America. Earlier he advocated legalizing marijuana and ending the failed war on drugs that puts so many behind bars and gave rise to the international drug cartels. All in all, a candidate I wanted to hear more from. Too bad his comment about Hillary ("I'm ashamed of you, Hillary") last fall re her Iran-war-enabling vote got him canned from the debates by the MSM. (Her answer: "Ha ha ha.") http://www
This is a good sign. Celebrities are not getting shut down...yet
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First Posted: 03-29-08 12:21 PM | Updated: 04- 6-08 05:12 AM