Will Smith On Obama: 'First Time' in Years it’s Good to Be an American

newsbusters.org ^ | June 23, 2008 | Geoffrey Dickens

[Free ThinkerNY]

On to promote his new movie "Hancock," Will Smith was pushed by "Today" co-host Matt Lauer to express his support for Barack Obama and the actor/rapper, channeled his inner Michelle Obama, as he declared it's the "first time" in five to 10 years it's been good to be an American overseas [audio available here]:

WILL SMITH: You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris and it's the first, I've been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn't been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing.

The following is an excerpt from the interview as it occurred on the June 22, "Today" show:

MATT LAUER: Let me get you on the record on politics here, okay? It's been-

WILL SMITH: No.

LAUER: Yeah, please.

(laughter)

LAUER: It's been, you basically come out and said, "Look what I have to do to help Barack Obama win, I'll do." You know, "Call on me."

SMITH: Absolutely.

LAUER: Has he called on you and are, are you supporting Barack Obama 'cause you would've supported anybody the Democrats put forward or that you just think he's the man?

SMITH: You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris and it's the first, I've been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn't been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing. You know the-

LAUER: Do you think people can't get behind America led by John McCain?

SMITH: You know I just, there, there are, there are certain ideas that I believe Barack stands for that are fundamental that the forefathers of this country wrote down on paper that we're all supposed to pay attention to, we're not supposed to ignore it and do what we want to do 'cause we have different ideas. And I believe just at his core the, that those ideas just they, they just come of his pores. And I'm, I'm excited to support him.

LAUER: And so the question everybody gets right now, if he calls you and wants you to be his Vice President you will?

SMITH: I will, and you know, I mean, I, I, I love this country and I'll do what I have to do. You know so, if I, if I have to run, you know, America really has an ear fetish. So I think I definitely have the ears for, Barack and I, we could do it.

[ronnie raygun]

So it doesn’t matter to Will what Obama is all about, it’s skin color that counts. Is anyone surprised not only at Will but other intellegent black Americans who could care less where this idiology would bring this country, it only matters that he is black and a symbol. Would they all feel the same if he was a staunch conservative? Then there views would change and he would be labled an uncle tom.

[kitkat]

***Faulty headline.

He was repeating Europeans attitudes toward America.***

And agreeing with them. Why else is he suddenly so proud of America?

[Secret Agent Man]

He’s unavailable for comment. Judge Banks just threw him out of the house again.

[driftless2]

"loves his country"

Ah yes, Will Smith the great lover of America who when asked about his feelings on 9/11 said that it didn't mean anything to him. You mean that great lover of his country, or is there another Will Smith? He's just another non-talented, racist, anti-American, Hollyweird goofball.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Will Smith could be pro-Taliban and I'll still see his movies. He's that good.

[Ghengis]

You know I just, there, there are, there are certain ideas that I believe Barack stands for that are fundamental that the forefathers of this country wrote down on paper that we're all supposed to pay attention to, we're not supposed to ignore it and do what we want to do 'cause we have different ideas. And I believe just at his core the, that those ideas just they, they just come of his pores. And I'm, I'm excited to support him.

He said a bunch of stuff. He did not support his argument once with any fact. Without benefit of seeing the video, this reads like a Tom Cruise Scientology video transcript.

[I Drive Too Fast]

the prospect of Will Smith being a doctor specializing in virology utterly preposterous

Probably a little more believable than Richard Pryor being a computer whiz in Superman III.

[Flying Circus]

I tend to like Will Smith in the choses he makes about his public image and the roles he takes. However I would have been far more surprised to hear that Smith did not support Obama. For Smith is about race, it is about what plays well within Hollywood, and it is about popularity.

[al_c]

He said a bunch of stuff. He did not support his argument once with any fact. Without benefit of seeing the video, this reads like a Tom Cruise Scientology video transcript.

Smith is in cahoots with the Scientology crowd.

In other news ... Will Smith says he'd make a good Obama