Martin Sheen's Oedipus Problem, And Ours

"I think he'd like to hand his father Saddam Hussein's head and win his approval for what happened after the Gulf War. That's my own personal opinion ? I don't know if that's true. I hope it's not, but I suspect it is."

That's TV president Martin Sheen musing on the real president's motivation for a sequel to the Gulf War. Sheen, the father of recidivist celebrity Charlie, surely knows a thing or two about a son's desperate need for recognition from a famous parent.

His comments came earlier today, at a Hollywood press conference held by beautiful people (and M*A*S*H second-string second banana Mike Farrell) to announce a letter they'd written urging Dubya to resist war in the Middle East. Reportedly, more than 100 celebrities (and Mike Farrell, who ironically owes his life of luxury to war and the sitcoms it inspires) signed the letter.

The exact contents of the letter were not revealed but given that the likes of Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould were involved, it can be assumed that it wasn't funny. And that its very existence is more disheartening to those of us who actually agree that Iraq can be contained without a full-scale invasion than it is to those on the other side of the issue.

Comments

[JtD]

The second-rate hollywood hacks didn't say a thing when Clinton was tossing his missiles around. They were silent as he defended the Muslims in Eastern Europe, of course, that had nothing to do with American interests. Anything for the Europeans, of the non-Christians.

They tried containment and it has escalated to a near-disastrous condition, their international friends subverted the process.

They can't stand that Republicans are trying to do something that is both in our own national interest and has humanitarian justifications.

Bush has stated more clearly than ever before the intent to base foreign policy on national ideals of freedom and democracy.

The test will come in time when focus shifts to Saudi Arabia. I promise that if he does not display consistency in that regard, I will be screaming for HIS head on a platter.

[caleb]

I think Carl Reiner is very funny. I'll concede that political grandstanding by celebrities is usually only funny if you have a strong sense of despair.

[Herb Williams]

Martin Who?

[Al Bee]

I don't care what anyone in Hollywood thinks. I don't agree with them and I don't go to the movies. Why support anything you can't believe.

How many of these a$$holes protested Clinton's war in Serbia? It politics!

[Brad S]

"I'm not the President, but I play one on TV!"

[fyodor]

A friend told me that Bush has outright admitted that he wants to get Saddam to avenge Dad. I told my friend I hadn't such a thing and he responded that you won't read such a thing in the US press, and that he gets his news from The Guardian. Not being quite sure whether to think my friend was hallucinating or that we're all dupes of the US corporate media, I decided to check out the Guardian myself. I didn't see anything about Bush admitting he's avenging Dad, but I did see an article about a wall being actively constructed by Israel to separate it from Palestine which was news to me. Not sure what to think....

As for Hollywooders, they're just a group of folks with opinions that don't matter any more or less than anyone else's, they just happen to have more access than most folks to media coverage for obvious reasons. Ain't "fair," but that's life.

[brent]

I think that the Bushes and Saddam Hussein are old friends and they arrange to do these wars as often as possible to drive up the price of oil and/or to distract their citizens from economic and other problems. Then they get together at the underground Powers That Be club and high five each other.

[Philip R. Berg]

Where is Senator Joseph McCarthy when you need him? I think we as Americans need to take another look at some of the Holly Wood types, Like Martin Sheen, Barbara Streisand and Susan Sarandon and the like. They profess to be the voice for the ?little people? When in reality these limousine liberals wouldn?t urinate on the little people if they were on fire. They are nothing but a bunch of over paid spoiled brats.

[Anonymous]

If Martin Sheen wants to be a peace advocate for Sadaam he might try acting in French films. I've watched him for the last time. I'm going to miss West Wing and the rest of the supporting cast.

[Anonymous]

If Martin Sheen wants to be a peace advocate for Sadaam he might try acting in French films. I've watched him for the last time. I'm going to miss West Wing and the rest of the supporting cast.

[Not an A-Hole]

So far all I've seen on this forum is people taking sides with the celebs or not. Why not post some non-critical messages that contain your own ideas for a change? If you're a war-monging nationalist bent on taking back "our" oil, that's fine. But say so based on fact, not on God or not by blaming a famous person speaking his/her mind. If you're a peace-loving being, like myself and apparently like Martin Sheen, say why. I personally agree on whichever course of action does the least damage, produces the most results, and doesn't waste lives, time, and money on feeble political crapola. It doesn't matter WHO advocates what, although I feel that left-wingers and hippies who want nothing to do with carnage are correct, it only matters what is advocated. If sending troops overseas results in mutual peace, stimulated economy, and the prevention of further conflict, then by all means send them. If it means us waging a bloody urban war that will lead nowhere except another humiliating Vietnam-esque defeat and an exploitation of the entire Middle East, then I wouldn't mobilize even one troop. So for fugg's sake, somebody write something back about this. Something longer than "yay America, get back our oil, fukbinladen."