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In an interview published November 11 at Salon.com, titled, "Woody Harrelson on war, death, LBJ and Obama," by Andrew O'Hehir, actor Woody Harrelson, who stars in the new film, The Messenger, recounts his conspiracy theory that America invaded Afghanistan not because of the 9/11 attacks, but because Chevron wanted to overthrow the Taliban and build an oil pipeline. Harrelson:
The guys from Chevron went in and met with the Taliban and realized those guys just weren't in control enough. That's why they wanted to oust them. Otherwise it's an absurd concept: You're going to war because a guy from some other country, a Saudi, is living somewhere in the mountains?
Harrelson, known for being anti-capitalism, continued: "It's a foreign policy gone way wrong. But that's how it always is. American foreign policy has always been not about spreading democracy, but about spreading capitalism."
He also made known his concerns that Barack Obama could become another LBJ because of an unwillingness to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, and opined that while JFK was "one of our last great Presidents," Jimmy Carter "was pretty great, too."
After suggesting that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were about "resources," the interviewer asked him to clarify, and Harrelson continued:
Iraq's about the oil and Afghanistan's about a pipeline. It always has been. They started building a pipeline as soon as there was a moment to do so. They started building a pipeline to the Caspian Sea, that's always been their directive. The guys from Chevron went in and met with the Taliban and realized those guys just weren't in control enough. That's why they wanted to oust them. Otherwise it's an absurd concept: You're going to war because a guy from some other country, a Saudi, is living somewhere in the mountains? So we're going to bomb Kabul, bomb the cities? That's absurd. It's a foreign policy gone way wrong. But that's how it always is. American foreign policy has always been, not about spreading democracy, but about spreading capitalism.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the November 11 interview from Salon.com:
Q: So you think both Iraq and Afghanistan are wars over resources?
A: Iraq's about the oil and Afghanistan's about a pipeline. It always has been. They started building a pipeline as soon as there was a moment to do so. They started building a pipeline to the Caspian Sea, that's always been their directive. The guys from Chevron went in and met with the Taliban and realized those guys just weren't in control enough. That's why they wanted to oust them. Otherwise it's an absurd concept: You're going to war because a guy from some other country, a Saudi, is living somewhere in the mountains? So we're going to bomb Kabul, bomb the cities? That's absurd. It's a foreign policy gone way wrong. But that's how it always is. American foreign policy has always been, not about spreading democracy, but about spreading capitalism.
It does feel sometimes like our government suffers from some kind of amnesia or OCD. It's like they keep making the same foreign policy mistakes and just hoping it won't turn out quite as badly the next time.
I'm hoping that other countries look at us and say, "OK, there's the government and then there's the people." Granted, you'd like the will of the government to be conjoined with the will of the people. But it's the same way I've made the evolutionary step of looking at the war as separate from the soldiers. When I look at Russia, I don't look at Putin as representing the Russian people. I'm sure they'd love to get him out of there. Regardless, the Bushes and their various oligarchies have gotten us into a situation that's just very unfortunate.
Q: At least at this point, it appears that Obama is pushing onward with the war in Afghanistan. Is he just constrained by geopolitics? Is he simply not free to say, "Look, we're not going to do this anymore"?
A: I think there's a lot of persuasive and powerful people around Obama. For a president to make his own decisions, I think that's a rarity. Even someone who we think of as our guy -- this is a guy with integrity, a guy who cares, for the first time in a long time -- in the Oval Office, even with him we don't really know who's pulling the strings. I think of every president as being a marionette. Whether he's any different, I don't know. Certainly his military advisors all want him to prosecute this war to the end, just as they did in Vietnam with LBJ.
It's just too depressing, I think we're going to have to hit the streets. Obama has the chance of becoming JFK or LBJ. I think JFK was one of our last great presidents, although I thought Carter was pretty great too. LBJ could have been a great president if he hadn't gotten bogged down in war, but that was quite a war to get bogged down in. Notwithstanding the fact that the war was wrong and they were talking about the Red Scare and the domino effect, if you go and read the Pentagon Papers they were also talking about rubber, tin and oil. They killed 2 and a half million people. What was it all for? In Korea they killed 4 and a half million. Like, we're liberating these people?
—Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.



















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No surprise there.
November 16, 2009 - 15:27 ET by notonmywatchNo surprise there. http://copycatwatch....
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Link should have been .org:
November 16, 2009 - 15:28 ET by notonmywatchLink should have been .org: http://copycatwatch....
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And here I thought he was acting....
November 16, 2009 - 15:36 ET by Patrick Michaelon Cheers when he played clueless Woody. Little did I know that he was doing a documentary on himself.
Stay Free!!!
He wasn't any brighter
November 16, 2009 - 15:39 ET by ricklailHe wasn't any brighter in The Cowboy Way. He is not acting. He is clueless
Semper suprene nitens
There is no point dwelling on all the foolish mistakes we have made in our lives. For one thing, it can be very time-consuming. Dr. Thomas Sowell
Woody needs to go back to
November 16, 2009 - 15:37 ET by bigtimerWoody needs to go back to Cheers...and stay there.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Woody almost ruined Cheers
November 16, 2009 - 15:47 ET by SouthJersey1953He is a poor actor. I have yet to see him in anything that was worth commenting on his acting abilities. He plays himself; an egocentric half-wit.
You can fix a lot of things, but, you can't fix STUPID! - Joe Murray
SJ... Hey, I loved him in
November 16, 2009 - 15:54 ET by bigtimerSJ...
Hey, I loved him in Cheers, just didn't know he wasn't acting...hehe
Btw...I saw him in some movie awhile back, can't think of the name of it now, will look later maybe, anyway, he was really great in that part.
I wished most of La-La-Land would just shut-up and act, instead of proving how dumb, clueless they are everytime they open up their yappers when talking political etc.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Harrelson---
November 16, 2009 - 15:48 ET by matthewdeanI used to think he was a moron.
I was wrong.
He is an idiot.
MD
"There is no distinctly American criminal class - except Congress."
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
...aaaaaand I'm reading about this washed up nitwit, why?
November 16, 2009 - 15:39 ET by heldmywAfter all, if I want salient and intelligent political opinion, I need the trenchant views of Sean Penn and the nuanced cleavage of Meghan McCain!
Pfft! Woody Harrelson?
He's no Lenny DiCaprio, even!
He's in "2012"
November 16, 2009 - 15:46 ET by JeffC...Making the rounds to plug his new movie. The movie has a government conspiracy, so for the MSM, that makes him an expert on government conspiracies.
Unfortunately, it doesn't make him smart, but the MSM doesn't care. Or notice.
...
November 16, 2009 - 15:40 ET by EugeniaIt's generally not a good idea to get Woody's opinion, let alone during the middle of a bong hit.
"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything."
-- GK Chesterton
Eugenia... Bingo...he's
November 16, 2009 - 15:42 ET by bigtimerEugenia...
Bingo...he's one burnt out twit.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Well then, if Woodhead
November 16, 2009 - 15:43 ET by mattmWell then, if Woodhead Son-of-a-criminal says it, it must be true...
Now, could I interest any of you in wonderful curative effects of snake oil?
Carter was pretty great too
November 16, 2009 - 15:47 ET by ThisnThatWe simply don't need to go any further than this to plumb the depths of this man's mind, do we?
__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song
Speaking of Woody Harrelson...
November 16, 2009 - 15:50 ET by stage9He plays himself in the movie 2012...pothead whack job living in an RV. He gets engulfed by molten lava...pretty prophetic.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will
be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for
pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner."
— Malcolm Muggeridge
Lava
November 16, 2009 - 16:41 ET by Rukus"He gets engulfed by molten lava..."
Then the lava turns to stoned. ; )
Gary
Old media species: Moonbat-a-saurus-rex. Getting more endangered by the day.
wow
November 16, 2009 - 15:51 ET by countmein5050I thought his biggest mission in life was to see that pot is legal every where he travels. Who knew he really is just an idiot at heart.
As clueless maroons go,
November 16, 2009 - 15:57 ET by marvlAs clueless maroons go, Woody is "pretty great."
I suppose that woodenhead
November 16, 2009 - 16:01 ET by rockyracoonI suppose that woodenhead is smoking too much weed to remember that 3000 of our fellow citizens were murdered by a group of terrorists that live, train, and recruit in Afganistan. And that our brave military is in there to prevent something similar from happening again.
Woodenhead sounds like one of those know-it-alls that reside in every bar, that spout out rediculous conspiracy threories. The Carter comment, says all one needs to know about the crappy actor that he is.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Harrelson is another one ...
November 16, 2009 - 16:03 ET by SentryDanHarrelson is another one of the liberals that has his head stuck where the sun don't shine and we aren't talking about the sand here. He doesn't have a clue.
Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.
Also remember folks, that the way to SUPPORT THE TROOPS is to support their mission. Anyone who says that they support the troops but don't support their mission is lying about supporting the troops. And if you want to know, yes I do have a dog in the fight, he is a United States Marine.
I always thought Harlson was a good actor on Cheers
November 16, 2009 - 16:05 ET by c5thenNow I see that he was apparently just playing himself.
Why is it that these lefty and liberal magazines and other media outlets feel compelled to give the mostly clueless entertainers a platform as if they are more knowledgable than the rest of the the people?
Throw 'da bums out!!!
Before it's too late.
www.loyaltoliberty.com
We get it: Woody bad, Chuck
November 16, 2009 - 16:06 ET by balboaWe get it: Woody bad, Chuck good.
Make Believe
November 16, 2009 - 16:12 ET by bradbenj5952I think Woody has spent so much time around his make believe world of acting that he believes life is nothing more than fiction. I categorize him as a "white man who can't think".
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31
Now we know
November 16, 2009 - 16:19 ET by doug1950how he got his name. Woody is the stuff between his ears. I have seen him on few interviews and always came away pretty much decided he is a dunce void of any ability for critical thinking. I believe he is a hemp ho and it shows. He has killed off whole sections of what brain he had with Mara Hooony.
The Perfect Quote
November 16, 2009 - 16:28 ET by sic721I read this somewhere back around inauguration time.
There are two kinds of people in the electorate:
Scary
November 16, 2009 - 17:29 ET by nolotrippen“It is almost impossible to distinguish a politician from a gangster.” (Will Durant, 1931)
I predicted tea parties would return. Now I'm predicting dueling will return.
no props for.....
November 16, 2009 - 16:29 ET by speppergee Woody, no props for Slick Willie? Wasn't he supposed to be the last great Democrat Prez? You gotta cut the puffin' that puffaluffin' stuff, puffbrothah-- Carter? SERIOUSLY?
Woody-a little historical perspective for your shallow little
November 16, 2009 - 16:31 ET by Gary HallWoody - a little historical perspective for your shallow and limited little mind. Woody said:
Just who is "they," Woody? We know who you think "they" is.
The Soviets invaded Afghanistan during the later years of the Carter Administration. Carter's National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski is on record:
The way "they" works for you Woody, is that all you will get out of that is something about, "wow, it was Carter who brought down the Berlin Wall." Don't get your hopes up, but along the way to understanding all of that Woody, stop hating Reagan for continuing Carter's covert activity in Afghanistan. Fortunately Reagan was a strong supporter of Democrat Charlie Wilson's want to do even more than Carter had done.
There are several pipeline routes from the vast Caspian oil and gas fields; some head to the east thru Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Black Sea, or from Georgia thru Turkey to the Mediterranean. Russia's route is more north, via Azerbaijan and then thru Russia to the Black Sea.
The other route was to the west and south thru Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and to India.
During the Clinton administration - in the face of years of neglect - the Taliban completed it's horrific takeover of Afghanistan. That put a damper in the Clinton administrations plans to build a pipeline across Afghanistan to serve the Caspian region, whereas the Clinton administration withdrew support. Somehow I remember this being Unocal, not Chevron.
Later. Speaking of the Caspian region; Clinton's Energy Secretary Bill Richardson spelled out America’s Balkan policy a few months prior to the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia [Kosovo]:
Are they the "they" you're talking about Woody?
They so much want to redefine the history of everything they don't like as belonging to someone else.
(;~/ gary
I stopped reading when I hit, "Jimmy Carter 'was pretty great..'
November 16, 2009 - 17:58 ET by R D HelmLOL-Does that make me a bad NBer?
-Dave
Our elected representatives have failed us.
Dave... If you are, then
November 16, 2009 - 18:02 ET by bigtimerDave...
If you are, then so am I.
That is exactly where I stopped myself, couldn't take anymore BS.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
→ No RD
November 16, 2009 - 18:05 ET by Cool ArrowMy response was a reflexive eye roll.
When I consider liberal mental giants like Barbra Streissand, Sean Penn, and Woody Harrelson, it's real tough to take therir adoring minions, or them, seriously.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
HA! HA! HA! HA! Wood Harrelson?!?!??!
November 16, 2009 - 18:58 ET by DaMamaNever trust the words of a Hollywood actor when it comes to politics. It's amazing that this liberal bozos think that just because they are famous, can memorize lines and pretend to be someone else for a living, makes them politically astute.
Harrelson has brains of pudding with all the drugs he's done over the years.
I know when I really want to
November 16, 2009 - 19:00 ET by SnappyI know when I really want to get some historical perspective and insightfull political analysis the first name I turn to is Woody Harrelson. And after his comment about Carter? Well, it just shows the depth of thought going into his statements.
Message to Barry
November 16, 2009 - 20:17 ET by Dan DiegoIf you retreat from Afghanistan and Iraq, you can share Jimma's legacy of being a "Great" president.
Unfortunately for Woody, Barry learned one thing from Jimma, being a complete wuss in your first term makes it your last.
DD... Thank
November 16, 2009 - 20:23 ET by bigtimerDD...
Thank God!
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Wisky, Tango, Foxtrot? WTF?!?!
November 16, 2009 - 21:16 ET by thedailyzingWhat the hell? This dude needs to stick to reading other peoples words. Woody sounds like a complete moron. "Hollyweird" strikes again!!! click here to read more about Libs crazy logic http://thedailyzing.com/334/7-habits-of-highly-defective-liberals/
And, of course we should all
November 16, 2009 - 21:46 ET by MikeBAnd, of course we should all listen to Woody Harrelson about economics and foreign policy because ... why exactly?
Woody Harrelson "attended Hanover College in Indiana, majoring in theater arts and English. He never graduated but was later given honorary degrees." (imdb.com)
Oh, that's right: he is a college drop out whose major was playing make-believe. So, of course he is qualified to discuss economics, foreign policy and military matters. Only in liberal land.
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
So, is "Woody" (good grief)
November 16, 2009 - 23:49 ET by RR GOPSo, is "Woody" (good grief) dissing Slick Willy there?
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Woody Has Stepped In It A Little Too Deep
November 17, 2009 - 07:20 ET by packmanYeah, right. With all the virtually clueless dumb & dumber roles that Woody has played, looks like he's gone a little too far with the "method acting" mode, a technique in which actors try to engender in themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters in an effort to create life-like performances.
The cheers character Woodrow Tiberius "Woody" Boyd, played by Harrelson, is described as a loveable albeit simple minded character...so this is the guy from whom we want policital advice and perspectives? NOT!!
Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread... ~Thomas Jefferson
Pretty great and being
November 17, 2009 - 08:43 ET by wiwfPretty great and being pretty terrible, you mean.
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Stupid is as Stupid Does
November 17, 2009 - 08:58 ET by rvail136Yet another reason why we shouldn't give actors a free microphone. Mostly they are complete idiots (outside of their chosen profession) and often remove all doubt when they speak.
Rich V.
www.thevailspot.blogspot.com
Sigh. Another Hollywood inbred...
November 17, 2009 - 12:31 ET by lotr...whom I shall boycott.
I actually agree that JFK was on his way to becoming a great president. Too bad, however, he was prevented from fully realizing that when he was brutally murdered by a left-wing, pro-Castro anti-capitalist.
Uh, don't the two go hand-in-hand? How can you have a free-democracy without a free-market? And what is little Woody's alternative? That we permit the Taliban-ilk to go about their foreign policy of spreading radical-Islam?
Steady." -- Keith Olbermann to Chris Matthews
Woody, Woody, Woody........
November 17, 2009 - 22:42 ET by doug1950It is your right to be stupid AND uninformed, but dammit man, you are abusing the privilege.