Sean Penn: I Am More Of A Patriot Than Bush

MSNBC ^ | 2/9/04

[11th Earl of Mar]

The “Mystic River” star was in South America, promoting the flick, when he was asked about the heat he’s been taking for speaking out against the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq.

When Penn was asked if he considered himself to be a patriot, he replied, according to our source and translator, “I am more patriotic than this president we have, who I consider a traitor of human and American principles.”

[mountaineer]

Real patriots never say "I'm more a patriot than so and so!"

Agreed. And real war heroes wouldn't go around bragging about their heroism. So I'm pretty sure a) Sean Penn is no patriot, and b) John f-in Kerry is no hero.

[Safetgiver]

Dammit! I'm retiring in Belize in about five years. Keep him away from my cashew wine.

[Shermy]

Sean Penn, the not-quite-Hunter Thompson of Iraq

"...When I arrive at the institute, there is a class in progress. For about 10 minutes, I observe as Betsy Hiel, a Weintel Prize-winning correspondent of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, discusses reporting structure, using as a model a multi-part piece she had done on mass graves. When this term "mass graves" is used, one of the young Iraqi students chimes in with laughter: "This whole country is a mass grave. We live in a mass grave." And with that, the fatigue of the trip hits me in the back of the head like a rocket-propelled grenade. As I excuse myself, Hiwa offers me a shot of Glenfiddich. I accept a sip, enough to wash down an Ambien, and then crawl under the covers in the bed they've given me, sinking into a five-hour chemically induced coma. ..."

[Fresh Wind]

That line really struck me as well. What basis to they have to use the term "increasingly unpopular"?

This characterization is quite accurate, but they just neglected to say who it is unpopular with. Saddam doesn't care much for it, and his friends and allies, like Penn and most MSNBC "reporters" don't either. It certainly isn't an example of media bias. Nope.

[cwb]

I agree. The irony of the "peace and love" party is that they have overwhelmingly been at the helm of some of this country's most major and minor battles. And throughout most those turbulent times, Republicans generally supported those war efforts. Only when a Republican leads the charge...even when do nothing more than following long-standing foreign policy docrtine, does the media and the Democrats cry in anger.

From the 1940s through the 1970s, Democrats had the full support of Republicans in Congress to wage their containment policies of the Cold War. But, alas, when Reagan took over, it was the Democrats in Congress who did all they could to put road-blocks in front of an administration that was doing nothing more than continuing long-standing American foreign policy. From the support of the Mujahedin in Afghanistan to even the Contras in Nicaragua, it was the "Carter" administration that actually began this support.

After Somoza was deposed in Nicaragua, not only did Carter try to start diplomatic relations with this new Marxist government, he hedged his bets by also supporting the Contra movement when he realized the FSLN was aligning itself with Cuba and the Soviets. Only when Reagan took office did the Democrats begin obstructing a policy that many had supported under Carter. The Democrats...along with the media, will do all they can to prevent a republican administration from being successful. What is happening today in Iraq reminds me so much of what happened in the '80s under Reagan and the Cold War. The Democrats have become obstructionists...again, because they see another Republican making substantive policy changes for the good of the world. The bottom line is, if Bush succeeds were Clinton couldn't (ala Carter vs Reagan), the democrats, again, look totally incompetent.

[.cnI redruM]

No wonder Madonna decided this man was a bore.

[CyberAnt]

And .. I needed to know this because ......???

[Helms]

[ZULU]

"who I consider a traitor of human and American principles"

He must be unread, because only a total illiterate would employ the above phaseology. The man is an imbicile.
An entertainment prostitute with no brains.

[weegee]

Defund the left, boycott Hollywood.

If a "conservative" director, studio, or shareholder is hurt by the boycott then maybe they will choose wiser next time when it comes to casting.

[petercooper]

Best line of Fast Times- "Mr. Spiccoli, what are you doing?-- Learning about Cuba, and havin some food."

classic

[Born Conservative]

If Thorazine doesn't work, maybe this will:

[ZULU]

"From the 1940s through the 1970s, Democrats had the full support of Republicans in Congress to wage their containment policies of the Cold War."

Unfortunately, the Roosevelt-Truman "containment policy" was as successful as everything else the idiots in the Democratic party engaged in. Roosevelt adored Stalin, his administration was riddled with communist agents or dupes and the same was true of Truman. Under their 'containment policy" Eastern Poland was ceded to Russia, the Baltic States, Poland, a third of Germany, Hungary, part of Austria, Bulgaria, and Romania were lost to Stalin and his successors while Mao-Tse-Tung took over all of China. Millions of human beings were needlessly slaughtered thanks to twits who thought along the same lines as the "President in waiting" John Kerry.

"From the support of the Mujahedin in Afghanistan to even the Contras in Nicaragua, it was the "Carter" administration that actually began this support."

Its my understanding that Reagan was responsible for flushing the commies out of Nicaragua and Afgahnistan. The idiot Carter lost Iran to the Ayatollahs. Reagan had to pull out of Lebanon instead of flatenning the Arabs who killed our marines because the idiot Democrats in Congress controlled the military pursestrings.

"After Somoza was deposed in Nicaragua, not only did Carter try to start diplomatic relations with this new Marxist government, he hedged his bets by also supporting the Contra movement when he realized the FSLN was aligning itself with Cuba and the Soviets."

Carter was, and is, and always will be, a total idiot.

"Only when Reagan took office did the Democrats begin obstructing a policy that many had supported under Carter. The Democrats...along with the media, will do all they can to prevent a republican administration from being successful. "

Even when they are in control themselves, they can't handle the ball. We got involved in WW1 and, thanks to us, the Brits, French and Italians won. Italy got land in the northern part of the penninsula from Austria, France got Alsace Lorraine back, England got more foreign colonies from the Germans and we got - The LEague of Nations!!

Here's a trick question. Who won WW2? Answer: The allies?

WRONG. Stalin won ww2. He must have. He grabbed half of Europe when it was over. WE got - The United Nations!!

The Dems lost our nuclear secrets to the Soviets thanks to their incompetence and stupidity and the entire world's population lived under the threat of nuclear war until Ronald Reagan, the Pope, and Lech Walesa destroyed the Evil EMpire for good, despite all the efforts by that equally bumbling idiot Bush I to keep it afloat.


"The bottom line is, if Bush succeeds were Clinton couldn't (ala Carter vs Reagan), the democrats, again, look totally incompetent."

Never fear, the Democrats have looked incompetent for nearly a century and still the stupid American public says they are "The People's Party" and goes out and votes for them. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter.

[Super Mak90kid]

By the way Sean, your movie "Mystic River" SUCKS! I'd heard nothing but rave reviews so my girlfriend and I went to see it. What a bloated, drawn-out pile a crap it was. Tim Robbins was in it and he sucked too.

[weegee]

Never fear, the Democrats have looked incompetent for nearly a century and still the stupid American public says they are "The People's Party" and goes out and votes for them.

Well the People's Party sure has done a lot to advance the causes of communism and socialism in this country and around the world. Some would say that it was "incompetence" where as others would see it as their true goal all along.

"Uncle Joe" Stalins smiles on useful idiots.

[Salamander]

I Am More Of A Patriot Than Bush

I really am a salamander who can type.

[corlorde]

More patriotic than Bush you say? I must be asleep because the last I knew, President Bush was the Commander in Chief. Who made Penn President will I was away?

Anyone?

[cwb]

"Its my understanding that Reagan was responsible for flushing the commies out of Nicaragua and Afgahnistan."

Reagan obviously succeeded with this policy. But it was Carter's NSA (Zbigniew Bryzeznski) who actually helped create this policy, which he called an "Arc of Crisis." He believed in not only using the Mujahedin against the Soviets, but he also was the one who argued for using the secular Saddam against the fundamentalist in Iran. The point is, the Democrats were fine with these policies when a Democratic administration was implementing them, but when Reagan took over, they all of the sudden became obstructionists.

While Reagan substantially increased the funding for the Mujahedin, this policy started under Carter. As did the whole concept of using the secular Saddam against the fundamentalist in Iran. Hell, one of Carter's own NSA aides (Gary Sick) said that the 8-year Iran/Iraq war was greenlighted by the Carter admininstration...who agreed to look the other way. So, for all the blame Reagan gets for blowback with Saddam Hussein, the fact is, this whole policy was set in motion before he even became president.

The same thing can be said for the Contras. While the Reagan administration obviously supported these freedom fighters, it was Carter's mishandling of Somoza that hung him out to dry (ala the Shah), leading to the FSLN taking control. While Carter and some of his liberal colleagues hoped they could create a new alliance with this Marxist government, the Marxist rebuked Washington's offers of freindship. Once Carter and clan saw that the FSLN was estabishing ties with Cuba and the Soviet Bloc, they became a little worried.

While the Carter administration was still trying to establish good relations with this new government (now the GRN), he was also authorizing aid to the democratic elements in Nicargua. It wasn't until January of 1981 (just before Inauguration) that Carter withdrew support for both the GRN and the democratic elements. Basically, Reagan was again left with picking up the pieces of Carter's mess...both in Nicaragua and Iran. Reagan did nothing more than reauthorize aid to those democratic elements (which Carter just cancelled)...and which the democrats refused to give him. In other words, the very aid and support Carter was getting from the Democrats in Congress, was cut-off when Reagan took over.

Never in the history of this country was a president left with such a mess...and then obstructed from continuing the very policies that were in effect just before he became president. Unlike the Democrats who pussy-footed around and did things half-assed, Reagan & Co. went full bore to try and resolve these problems. Even worse is that members of the Democratic Party were praising the efforts of Ortega as they tried to undermine this very policy. And contrary to popular liberal belief, both these problems (Iran/Contra) were created by Democratic foreign policy blunders. Reagan not only has my respect for doing what he did...he has it because of the risk he took as he also battled congress in this quest. It wasn't Reagan who disgraced his office...it was the Democrats in Congress who, just as they are doing with Bush, obstructed all efforts to resolve problems that existed long before they became presidents.

"The Dems lost our nuclear secrets to the Soviets thanks to their incompetence and stupidity and the entire world's population lived under the threat of nuclear war until Ronald Reagan..."

FDR's little deals with the Soviet's and our loss of nuclear secrets during this period of time have an eary similarity to what happened with Clinton and the Chinese during the 1990's. Coincidence? I don't think so.

[wizardoz]

Give him Patriotism, or give him death.................! Ok, death it is!

By BONGO!!