<I>Real Time</i>: John Cusack on War, Inc.
By Nicole Belle Sunday Mar 30, 2008 3:10pm
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Download | play (h/t Heather)
John Cusack appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his new film, War, Inc. which satirizes the military-industrial complex. While Cusack clearly had the cozy relationship between the Bush/Cheney White House and subcontractors like Halliburton and Blackwater in mind (as well as Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine), host Bill Maher thinks that the blame should be spread around evenly: the White House for perpetrating it in the first place, the Democrats for enabling it and the American public for being complacent about it.
MAHER: I mean, if people really cared, they would care to find out.
CUSACK: Well, but I think they’re getting more and more information about it. And I think, you know, some of these truths are so horrible that you don’t really want to think about that. I mean, I don’t…but I mean, it’s just…I mean, the gig’s up. I mean, if guys who are statesmen on CNN and are also sitting on the boards and are, you know, shareholders in some of the most profitable defense contractors in the world and they publicly make the case to go to war, and then they go to war, right? And they create a new market with their war, they bar their competitors from the aftermath; then they come back and speak evangelically about free markets that aren’t even free, when it’s a vast protectionist racket. These aren’t particularly subtle facts, their stop…stock prices jump 145%, their companies are awarded $2.3billion dollar contracts. I mean, after a while, you have to just expose and shame and indict and hopefully, convict the participants in this illegal, immoral ideology. So yeah, are Americans complacent? But I’m not…I’m not ready to give up or cede the Constitution of the United States to this bunch of hoodlums.
Howie Klein got the chance to see a sneak preview of War, Inc. last week and wrote a glowing review.
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Is Cusack one of those Hollywood secular progressives?
I can't wait to see this film.
Fuck YEAH!!! I always Liked this guy, now more than ever since he shows some fuckin backbone! You go John!!!
PS...I WANT MY 2 DOLLARS!!!
Pretty good stuff.
Yes, we need much, much more public involvement in the decision making and actions of our government. Pre-Iraq I read everything pointing out the flawed decision process and I believed the few voices in government (like Clarke, Kay) who were against invasion. But the politics of it all only caused me to have doubts. A few people paying attention didn't amount to much; but now, with the Internet, blogs and outspoken KO's, Stewart, Colbert and Maher types we have more options to listen and learn. However, none of that will overcome a compliant Congress.
I just read "War for Dummies".
and guess what, it's true.
"I don't have a dime." [JC]
"I didn't ask for a dime, I asked for two dollars!" [Newspaper boy]
Classic!
John Cusack is a perfect example of why Republicans don't like to give public forums to "Hollywood types" who have something to say... unless, of course it's Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Chuck Norris.
Bush preyed on the public fear at the time. He kept that fear factor on high until he could convince almost everyone that if he did not invade Iraq we would have another 9-11. It worked perfectly for him time wise.
Cheney had his own motive$.
Good for Cusack for not just being pissed but doing something about it.
I heard some girl on tv talking about films this morning. She said, Of course we know that movies about the Iraq war aren't doing well.
Do we know that? I'm not a movie goer so I don't know if she's right or wrong.
Cusack's right. Once you read Naomi Klein's book and look at the world through it's prism, it all become so painfully clear what's really going on.
[Deleted. Ummm... what exactly makes you think you can post here again? Take the advice you offer in your email addy-Sitemonitor]
truer words were never spoken.
I watched this the other night,and watched it a few more times.
I have to agree with everything he said.But who wouldn't agree with him.
Yeah, I know,20-30% of the country disagrees with him.
You can't fix stupid, but you can fix illegal corrupt activity in our govt. All we need is for the Dem's to do it.
Better Off Dead 2?
Lane Meyer (your main weiner man) was great, except for the part about the public at large being complicit in the melding of the big war contractors and the government. It wasn't so much of a swing and a miss as a foul ball. There should be riots over what has gone on with the military-industrial complex and the "protection racket" it's turned into, but, where Hoops McCann should've gone would've been to point out that we the people don't have as much choice as we'd like to in the size of everyone's megaphones.
Pop Quiz: Which major network is owned by a major war contractor?
pissed off patricia @ 9:
boosh has the same motive$. plus, he really, really hates the non-wealthy. you can see the contempt in his eyes every time he has to explain anything.
Can't really argue with John and Bill, but I'm still at a loss to know what actions I, as a citizen, can take to bring an end to this steep slide into fascism. I stay informed, I read the PNAC docs in early 2000, so I knew 9/11 was a scam; I watch several news sources on TV and cable; I read a number of blogs and news sites regularly, and follow the links provided by folks to glean even more information. I'm aware that our government is firmly under the control of corporatists, elitists, and folks who run the international financial cabal.
So, I learn, I share what I learn with others (who usually tell me I'm nuts); I live a pretty frugal life, try not to waste resources and I try not to buy from corps. who are blatant fascists or violators of human rights; and, I regularly write to and email my Sens and Rep, and somtimes the President, expressing my deep concerns. I have stood with Quaker peace prostesters against the war; I have End this War bumper stickers on my car and in '06, I made dozens of calls for MoveOn to get voters to vote Dems into Congress.
Am I complacent? I feel complacent. Because nothing changes----- for the better, it just seems to get worse. So what can I do to make a difference? What actions can individual citizens take that will really change the direction of this country is headed?
I really want to be an optimist, but then I read stuff about the US Treasury Sec. is promoting a plan to Congress to turn over all responsibility for our monetary /banking system to the FED!!!! Seriously.....I need an aspirin...!
NBC is owned by General Electric. Pretty easy that one!
Any lists we can make to go along with this thread? Like....Top 10 impeachable offenses committed by Bush and Cheney!!
Americans: shame-based, shame-prone, isolated, distracted by all things other than their humanness..Spiritually dead. Entropy.
And if McFriend gets elected the ball will keep right on rolling.
You always had that feeling that Lloyd Dobler (Say Anything) would make it big! He seems to have found that "dare to be great" situation! Good for him! After taking these criminals down maybe he could work Bud Selig and get Buck Weaver reinstated (posthumously) into baseball so he can be rightfully inducted into the Hall of Fame (Eight Men Out)!!!
Gross Pointe Blank is also superb.
"ATM Machine"
Fucking drives me nuts.
I was lucky to get to see a screener of this film and it is chillingly funny. You are torn between laughing and running straight out to the street.
Great job John C.
Now that's a real shame when folks be politicizing a perfectly good white boy like that.
I want to see this movie! I just watched Martian Child over the weekend and I loved it. I do believe John has grown up.
Is this a made for tv movie or will it be in all theaters?
Hey John:
Check out this CNN video when a questioner asks Obama about his relationship to the CFR - and be sure to read the comments posed by others at the end.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Obama_no_secret_trade_deals_0331.html
So WTF? Is BM becoming an apologist for BushCo? He seemed to be getting "uneasy" when John Cusack was pointing out all Bush's crimes. And is BM really proMcCain?
Cusack is awesome, Love his delivery in movies, High Fidelity, Say Anything and Grosse Pointe.
What gets me is,What took him and alot of others in Hollywood so long to speak out?
I appreciate him and his speaking out.
But I wonder why Hollywood has been unusually quiet on this topic.
I understand that some have spoken out, But by in large,Hollywood has been very quiet for far too long about this.
I'm not condemning JC, I applaud him for being vocal now. But where is everyone else? Are they that afraid of this admin and their cronies? Do they think they'll get blackballed? There has to be a reason.
steve @ 21:
Thank you.
Makes me wonder what these people would score on an SAT Test.
Amitola @ 15:
Take heart...look Bush had one of the highest approval ratings right after 9/11. Now look at him: His approval ratings are in the tank and so are the GOP's.
We are making a difference. We can raise bloody hell about Paulson's FED plan too [talk about an ATM, geez].
Pop Quiz: Which major network is owned by a major war contractor?
Drumroll......
Trick question...
Answer ALL OF THEM....
Look it up.
""I read stuff about the US Treasury Sec. is promoting a plan to Congress to turn over all responsibility for our monetary /banking system to the FED!!!! Seriously""
I saw this this morning and was wondering why no one had a problem with this or mentioned it yet ... I could have missed it but I didn’t see it.
In the Ron Paul fervor I got to know a bit more about our banking system and the fed.
Watched a few videos including “Freedom to Fascism”.
I've seen a few others in the past about our money and how unbelievably fiat it actually is and how against the fed past presidents and great leaders have been.
So when I saw this earlier and realized that they were taking all of the abused power and giving it to just one singe entity I thought WTF is this??!!?
This may be the worst thing to come about from the Bush admin of all no? Almost like it has all led up to this event or something …
Don’t mean to be the tin-foil hat wearing type but does anyone know what I’m talking about here??
Its so nice to see someone insightfully connect the dots so that the average working man can see whose screwing him over. Thats what we need. Hopefully, we can get it.
(if I can convince my dad / grandpa who have been small town rural farmers their whole lives that corporations are the enemy, then we can succeed. Yes. We. Can)
sixhundredsixtysix @ 31:
Yes, I know what you're talking about and you're not alone. I've seen the very same sentiments expressed all over the blogosphere today.
sixhundredsixtysix @ 31:
This is the most important video you will ever watch. It explains EVERYTHING. Take the time required to absorb it, then share it with everyone.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936
To little, to late.
You are complicit. Actually you are worse because you are the type of guy that will wait until the game unfolds and then complain about the players.
Bush and his goons will never see trial and the history he writes will make them out to be good guys.
Been like that for over 100 years. Why should it change now?
Heck not even a blow-job could threaten Bush now. That only is bad for Democrats.
I love that John did not take Maher's bait, and refused to get silly or jokey with Maher. I read The Shock Doctrine and you can find Cusack's interview with Naomi Klein with google search.
From: Bombs N' Profits R Us' Inc.
January 26, 1998
The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing you because we are convinced that current American policy toward Iraq is not succeeding, and that we may soon face a threat in the Middle East more serious than any we have known since the end of the Cold War. In your upcoming State of the Union Address, you have an opportunity to chart a clear and determined course for meeting this threat. We urge you to seize that opportunity, and to enunciate a new strategy that would secure the interests of the U.S. and our friends and allies around the world. That strategy should aim, above all, at the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime from power. We stand ready to offer our full support in this difficult but necessary endeavor.
The policy of “containment” of Saddam Hussein has been steadily eroding over the past several months. As recent events have demonstrated, we can no longer depend on our partners in the Gulf War coalition to continue to uphold the sanctions or to punish Saddam when he blocks or evades UN inspections. Our ability to ensure that Saddam Hussein is not producing weapons of mass destruction, therefore, has substantially diminished. Even if full inspections were eventually to resume, which now seems highly unlikely, experience has shown that it is difficult if not impossible to monitor Iraq’s chemical and biological weapons production. The lengthy period during which the inspectors will have been unable to enter many Iraqi facilities has made it even less likely that they will be able to uncover all of Saddam’s secrets. As a result, in the not-too-distant future we will be unable to determine with any reasonable level of confidence whether Iraq does or does not possess such weapons.
Such uncertainty will, by itself, have a seriously destabilizing effect on the entire Middle East. It hardly needs to be added that if Saddam does acquire the capability to deliver weapons of mass destruction, as he is almost certain to do if we continue along the present course, the safety of American troops in the region, of our friends and allies like Israel and the moderate Arab states, and a significant portion of the world’s supply of oil will all be put at hazard. As you have rightly declared, Mr. President, the security of the world in the first part of the 21st century will be determined largely by how we handle this threat.
Given the magnitude of the threat, the current policy, which depends for its success upon the steadfastness of our coalition partners and upon the cooperation of Saddam Hussein, is dangerously inadequate. The only acceptable strategy is one that eliminates the possibility that Iraq will be able to use or threaten to use weapons of mass destruction. In the near term, this means a willingness to undertake military action as diplomacy is clearly failing. In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy.
We urge you to articulate this aim, and to turn your Administration's attention to implementing a strategy for removing Saddam's regime from power. This will require a full complement of diplomatic, political and military efforts. Although we are fully aware of the dangers and difficulties in implementing this policy, we believe the dangers of failing to do so are far greater. We believe the U.S. has the authority under existing UN resolutions to take the necessary steps, including military steps, to protect our vital interests in the Gulf. In any case, American policy cannot continue to be crippled by a misguided insistence on unanimity in the UN Security Council.
We urge you to act decisively. If you act now to end the threat of weapons of mass destruction against the U.S. or its allies, you will be acting in the most fundamental national security interests of the country. If we accept a course of weakness and drift, we put our interests and our future at risk.
Sincerely,
Elliott Abrams Richard L. Armitage William J. Bennett
Jeffrey Bergner John Bolton Paula Dobriansky
Francis Fukuyama Robert Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad
William Kristol Richard Perle Peter W. Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld William Schneider, Jr. Vin Weber
Paul Wolfowitz R. James Woolsey Robert B. Zoellick
But I have always liked this guys work,and I'm grateful for him speaking out. I wish more of the actors would speak out.
Their more recognizable to the general public and the general public trusts them more than your average politician or activist.
So if more of them spoke out, maybe more of that 20-30% would open their eyes.
L.A. Confidential @ 37:
The policy was written by neocons, and supported by wolfowitz and rummy and Perle. The reason they are called neocons is that they are newly conservative. ie Clinton didn't buy their BS but GW did. The republican party has been highjacked by the neocons. They use terror and religion to keep the sheep distracted while they prosecute their war for oil and profit.
I can not fault the American people too much - where were they supposed to find the information? Through the media???
Also, you know, President's Day, Hail to the Chief, all that crap you're taught in school. People have a natural tendency not to believe that the President of the United States would try to fuck over the country.
OT- sorry/ Please share this video with everyone you know. Something truly amazing is happening. Get ready to be motivated and inspired to fight the good fight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9IldaegAB0
Oh, come on.
This Cusack guy will say anything just to get attention.
Eric Hussein Almighty @ 13:
I think the more subtle point is that in many ways 'we' did cheerlead and 'tail-gate' our team.
For all of 'us' that were brought along in the post 911 frenzy of fear and patriotism most now see 'more clearly' as shown by the poles.
But the numbers at one time showed many of 'us' were good with the war for a plethera of faulty reasons.
So that we went along is a fact and in that way we sure didn't hinder the criminalMilitaryOilIndustrialTerrorComplex.
Folks I knew stopped protesting "Because once our boys were there" they felt it was unpatriotic to do what they had done a few months before.
The main reason that the public seems apathetic is despair. It's obvious that the Bushies have headed off all possibility of legal repercussions for themselves. They have a loyal AG who will avoid investigating Republicans while attacking Democrats. Scooter Libby was pardoned by Bush to keep the president from facing impeachment for treason, obstruction of justice, abuse of power and war crimes. Then, if everything else goes wrong, they have stacked the Supreme Clowns with enough five puppets that will do anything BushCo wants.
Bush and his cronies have completely corrupted a system that was designed to keep people like them from using America's government as a tool for private gain.
This systemic catastrophe is a direct result of Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. Why? Because a good portion of the crooks who set up this conspiracy were Nixon cronies, along with Ronald Reagan's Iran-Contra stooges. Remembering their previous legal difficulties, they set out starting in 2000 to rig the system to avoid those difficulties this time around. They were successful, resulting in the worst political crime spree in American history.
So WTF? Is BM becoming an apologist for BushCo? He seemed to be getting “uneasy” when John Cusack was pointing out all Bush’s crimes. And is BM really proMcCain?
-------
Maher has bills to pay.
I used to trust his integrity.Not anymore.
I hate Bill Maher. He is a two faced prick. On the other hand
John Cusack is terrific. Maher can kiss my ass.
i dont think the bush people know your going to take the whitehouse in november!!!!!!!!!!!!!!oh wait!
sometimes maher, ko, stewart and colbert have to play devils advocate in order to keep their jobs. easy on them, they're all we got.
i forgot moyers too.
Bill Maher thinks that the blame should be spread around evenly: the White House for perpetrating it in the first place, the Democrats for enabling it and the American public for being complacent about it.
There is a good portion of the American public that simply doesn't care. It is an alarmingly large portion.
But there is also an increasingly large portion of the public that simply feels powerless. They don't spend time finding out information in detail not because they don't care about it or don't want to know, but because they're simply too busy. They have to struggle, often with both parents working more than one job, just to put food and health care on the table, often sacrificing one for the other. They do their jobs as good citizens insofar as they listen to the news and vote. But the news lies, and the only viable parties for which to vote have unbreakable duopoly control over every level of government, and neither party seems willing or able to bring about the major reforms needed to stamp out the ever-spreading cancer of corruption.
People continue to feel that their votes don't really count. And in a certain sense, they're correct. Who can really blame them for placing their energies more on surviving day-to-day than working tirelessly to find out what the media won't tell them and to stop a military-industrial complex they barely understand?
Amitola @ 15:
I know I sound like a broken record here on the C&L boards, but I will say yet again that we need to work from the bottom up, starting in our local communities and states, for comprehensive electoral reform. We need to change the very way in which we vote for all representation in government. Until we ditch our archaic, single-member-district, winner-takes-all, winners-and-losers style of elections, we will never have governments that are, as John Adams hoped, "portraits in miniature" of the people at large.
Electoral reform is not a panacea, but so many of the problems (lack of real choice, nothing changing election after election) that plague us are endemic to our electoral system. I do believe we can re-seize control of our government bottom-up if we change the way we vote.
Eric Hussein Almighty @ 28:
That was a joke, right?
Cusak was spot on on all counts-Including passing on the Dem candidates. Nothing wounds Me more than the vitriol I see every day between Clinton and Obama and the Clinton and Obama supporters. I just shake My head,and wonder what could be. The Dems have taken an easy win and made it Very uncertain if They can gain The WhiteHouse. The RePugs rejected the clowns and got their candidate and are waiting in the weeds until this slugfest is over. Fools...Fools.
Alright..Alright. I can finally forgive him for "Seredipity".
SJD @ 45:
Me neither. He is sold out. Oh, you can talk about anything on his show... except for the elephant in the room. Can't even say 911.
What a maverick. Those Libertarians just love their liberty. Let me smoke pot and you old, poor people can just pull yourselves up by your bootstraps.
Oh yeah... and he thinks assassination is a wonderful idea. Really? Bill, really? Assassination?
What have you got against JFK, MLK, RFK, Malcolm X, Gandhi, Lincoln, Wellstone and Jesus Christ?
If you love assassination then this is the fruit of that tree... suck it!
"Buck up little camper."
nanderson @ 55:
If I'm understanding him correctly, I think Maher was just frustrated that he wasn't getting a direct answer to his question. He wanted to talk about the complacency and complicity of the American people at large in this fiasco, and Cusack largely constrained his answers to the Bush Administration's crimes. Maher wanted to steer the conversation one way, and Cusack stayed where he wanted to stay. I don't think Maher was at all apologizing for the Bush Administration.
-------
How has he sold out? I really don't understand that. I can understand your not agreeing with his policy of not talking about 9/11 conspiracy theories, but your not agreeing with him doesn't mean he has necessarily sold out on anything, does it? He genuinely believes that people who think 9/11 was an inside job are kooks. You can disagree with him, but I don't see how he's lowered his integrity.
That's not Maher's position at all. He's very much in favor of programs like Social Security and universal health care. He calls himself a libertarian, but disagrees with a lot of the Libertarian Party orthodoxy.
Well, I don't think that he'd agree that those people should have been assassinated. He's talking about having the U.S. government commit to assassinating leaders of rogue nations rather than sending our troops in to die by the tens of thousands. It's a controversial notion.
Again, you can disagree, but I don't see how Maher's integrity has been compromised.
There are plenty of issues on which I disagree with Bill Maher. His stance on modern medicine of late strikes me as completely bonkers and pseudoscientific. But hey, he says what he believes. I still think he's funny, and I still enjoy watching his show. I don't have to agree with everything he says, or even agree with him on issues I'm passionate about, to enjoy his program.
Eric Hussein Almighty @ 13:
whose going to riot with these about ?
Eric Hussein Almighty @ 13:
maybe this one of five owners of the Us media
There all C&L's as far as im concerned.
But cmon the Dems cut so much military funding, Of Course these companies are going to come along and fill a void OUR GOVERMENT used to fill. But know its a necon conspiracy. LOL, But leave it to people like this to write a book and then make a movie. Just so THEY can make some of that same Evil Americans money. Nobody knows about this shit and the candidates aren't talking about because it ain't true.
Give me a fn break.
What really makes me laugh is this has been actor (I actually used to like-sixteen candles-and his sister) is he probably believes its true.
O'Really @ 62:
Is English your native tongue? I'm just asking because I don't want to be rude if it isn't. If it isn't, well, hey, you're getting there. If it is.....oh dear....
You really think that the privatization of the military happened because the Democrats cut military spending, and that they just had to fill a void in the market? I mean, seriously, maybe something just got lost in translation if you're first language is not English, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. No one is that silly.
[Deleted-Sitemonitor]
bill maher is a completely and totally full of crap.
in the cusack interview he basically blames americans for not trying to find out about issues . he was the one who had the nine eleven truthers kicked out of his studio.
in that same show he conducted an interview with gary kasparov. in that interview he asked kasparov if he was afraid about going back to russia for fear he would be killed.
So, for bill maher to choose not to believe that the u.s. govt cant be as underhanded and despicable as the russians tells me he has his head in the sand. what is this guy talking about?
so, to put it bluntly, bill maher sucks!
RE Mahr and his question about aren't the people partly to blame, I agree with this premise. Democracy is not a spectator sport. People need to pay attention, but unfortunately they were too busy shopping while the government was being hijacked. Of course it is even more complicated than that, but I do believe that things could not be nearly as bad now if citizens were acting more like citizens than a shopkeeper's dream.
I do not appreciate the fact that Mahr considers truthers "kooks", so let me be clear on that. But lets be thankful he managed to give Cusack some airtime, which he likely won't see much of where War, Inc is concerned.
I think John should get in front of the White House with a boom box. It would definitely get people's attention.
Pop Quiz: Which major network is owned by a major war contractor?
Um...Faux noose?
Karen @ 63:
Im pretty sure I can say the same thing. Do you mean my GRAMMAR is bad.Sorry I didnt know I was going to be graded. Yes I quess I try to speak english. I know Im bad at that.And now another reminder of how bad I write. Thanks
Its hard for some of us who didnt have the money to go to college.
Why cant you just ask me what I meant.
I did see Bill Maher's show with John Cusack.
I watch Maher not because he's brilliant, but because he's serviceable, sometimes funny, and not the intellectual dynamo he thinks he is.
Bill Maher does present a view I don't see articulated on TV/cable too often: very liberal, well informed. He's sometimes funny, but not as funny without script writers as evidenced during the writers strike.
He's also not the intellectual juggernaut he thinks he is. It's one thing to score points off of US politicians who come on his show in person or on the screen. Did anyone see Kasparov of Russia's appearance on Bill Maher's show about 6 months ago. Bill tried to control the conversation or make his usual points, but Kasparov, in his 2nd or 3rd language, moved Maher around like a chess pawn (Kasparov was a chess champion).
But as for Bill Maher and John Cusack, I found myself wondering how ambivalent Maher is about being an American. Sometimes he referred to the American public as "they", sometimes he uses the word "we".
As for being complacent? Bill Maher can afford to be incredibly well informed and an activist. He's paid to do that. Perhaps if Bill worked at factory for 40 hours a week and worked a 2nd job he might be less active and more complacent. Yes Bill, you've earned your way and your show.
I just hope you remember a little humility along the way.
Not quite complacent in Illinois,
Richard
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