Tony Bennett: Obama is America's 'Greatest Accomplishment,' Not Sure if Fighting Hitler 'Justified'
Appearing as a guest on Monday's Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN, singer Tony Bennett declared that President Obama is the "greatest accomplishment that the United States ever came up with," and expressed admiration for the President whom he labeled as "more than intelligent."
A bit later, when asked by host Piers Morgan whether he believed war was ever "justified," with Morgan specifically asking if it was "imperative" to "defend yourselves" against Adolf Hitler in spite of the "collateral damage," Bennett, a World War II veteran, was not so sure:
That's a very difficult question because I think we should have a society of highly educated, intelligent people that will think realistically about how to do things. When I said to you earlier that the lowest form of nature is to kill someone, it's the lowest form of humanity, that's the bottom of the line. So we're actually intellectual cavemen at this point.
He continued:
No matter how much technical things we work out, we're still fighting. And it's my dream that some day we'll find out, everybody will learn that what a gift it is to be alive and how we should cherish one another and appreciate one another.
Bennett's earlier praise of Obama had come as Morgan asked the singer if he thought he would ever see a black President in his lifetime:
PIERS MORGAN: Did you think then when Martin Luther King was assassinated, did you think in your lifetime, you would see a black President in America?
TONY BENNETT: I think it's the greatest accomplishment that the United States ever came up with. I think it's magnificent because he's not only an African-American, but he's, you know, I've always respected intellectual people, and he's an intellect.
MORGAN: He's intelligent.
BENNETT: He's highly, he's more than intelligent. He's very bright, highly bright..."
The two also addressed Bennett's recent controversial comments about the 9/11 attacks during an interview with talk radio host Howard Stern.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Monday, october 10, Piers Morgan Tonight on CNN:
PIERS MORGAN: In the '60s, you became involved in the American Civil Rights Movement. You participated in the '68 Selma to Montgomery marches. Did you think then when Martin Luther King was assassinated, did you think in your lifetime, you would see a black President in America?
TONY BENNETT: I think it's the greatest accomplishment that the United States ever came up with. I think it's magnificent because he's not only an African-American, but he's, you know, I've always respected intellectual people, and he's an intellect.
MORGAN: He's intelligent.
BENNETT: He's highly, he's more than intelligent. He's very bright, highly bright, and I love the fact that this great country, it's a great step for humanity, for the world to learn that even though I love this country more than anything that could ever happen, it's kind of ahead of all the other countries, because instead of one philosophy, it has many. It has a great palette to choose from from every society and every religion. That only happens in the United States.
MORGAN: It was very courageous of you to do what you did personally in the '60s, to go on those marches. It was a contentious thing to do. What was driving you at the time?
BENNETT: It's a dream of mine that some day the world will pick themselves up by their boot straps and better themselves, walk toward humanity, realize what a gift it is to be alive and to be on this planet, what a gift it is that we're alive.
MORGAN: How important for you in forming your character was fighting in the war? Because you saw some pretty heavy action. I mean, you were involved in the famous Battle of the Bulge, across France and to Germany and the U.S. Army from November 1944. You know, when I talk to people from that era, they always say that when you go to war, the stuff you experience, it shapes your character forever. And it gives you a sense of perspective on life that nothing else can. Was that how you felt?
BENNETT: Well, yes. It taught me, personally, it taught me that fighting, killing someone is the lowest form of human behavior.
MORGAN: But do you feel that war is ever justified?
BENNETT: Well-
MORGAN: When the allies took on the Nazis, when Adolf Hitler was trying to take over the world, and was clearly an evil man, is it not an imperative to then defend yourselves against someone like him, with all the collateral damage that comes?
BENNETT: That's a very difficult question because I think we should have a society of highly educated, intelligent people that will think realistically about how to do things. When I said to you earlier that the lowest form of nature is to kill someone, it's the lowest form of humanity, that's the bottom of the line. So we're actually intellectual cavemen at this point. No matter how much technical things we work out, we're still fighting. And it's my dream that some day we'll find out, everybody willlearn that what a gift it is to be alive and how we should cherish one another and appreciate one another.
MORGAN: You've run into trouble with Howard Stern. And you're not the first to do that, by the way.
BENNETT: On a daily basis.
MORGAN: You got into trouble. You made comments that on the face of it seemed quite inflammatory about 9/11 and so on. Was that really the point you were making?
BENNETT: Yes.
MORGAN: Is it really, you have to value life higher than everyone in the modern world appears to be valuing it? All governments appear to be involved in some kind of conflict, war or whatever.
BENNETT: Oh, gosh, understand that we're all on this planet, and we only have one quick life. It's only a hundred years. If we're lucky we live a hundred years. We should realize what a gift that is to be alive.
MORGAN: What does it mean to you to be an American?
BENNETT: Well, America, to be an American is you're ahead of everybody on the planet. It's the first country where it's not one philosophy, but many, many philosophies. And it's one of the things that we should celebrate, the fact that there are all different religions, every different nationality. And we should cherish the best of every religion and every nationality. We should cherish it. And it's much more creative to live that way than to have one philosophy and this is how we do it. With all the other countries, that's the way it is.
MORGAN: It's strange to think there are lots of people out there that would actually directly oppose that kind of ambition. And they do.
BENNETT: It's a matter of education.
MORGAN: I think you're right. I think you're right. I think if the money put into warfare was put into education around the world, it would be a very different world, right?
BENNETT: Absolutely.
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Comments
Just goes to show. . .
Submitted by rickbren on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:43am.
. . . fame does not equal intelligence. .
Does this freak take botox?
Submitted by daveinboca on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:47pm.
Sad when a guy says we "deserved" 911 because we were bombing them at the time. Sorry Tony, you're already half-a-brain in the grave because we weren't bombing anyone since Billy Jeff Clinton, who was even more "more than intelligent" than Obungler.
Just goes to show. . .
Submitted by rickbren on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:43am.
. . . fame does not equal intelligence. .
Senile dementia
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:48am.
is so sad.....
He might be right
Submitted by Franksam on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:54am.
The Wahhabi schools for Jihad are a great example of what you can get with top down control of a well-funded educational system. Apparently, however, they haven't had the pleasure of Tony Bennet as a visiting professor to tell them that killing is a sub-human thing to do.
Tony Bennet and Rodney King: "Can't we all get along?"
Me: "I don't think so."
Great singer, but his
Submitted by Newsbusterbrown on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:55am.
Great singer, but his intellect leaves something to be desired.
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Tony Bennett
Submitted by rusino on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 7:58am.
Do me a favor Mr. Bennett,SHUT UP AND SING. Better yet just, SHUT UP!
Thank You Tony!!!!
Submitted by Bourbeau on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:00am.
Thanks for all the enjoyment you brought your fans over the years; it was truly a gift we appreciated. That being said, we'd appreciate it if you shut the hell up; no one cares about what your thoughts are on the political matters of this country; we never heard from you before, we don't need to hear from you now. Your time is up; you have made your contribution; now have the decency to save your political musings for your Hollywood crowd; they are the only ones that might even give a damn about what you think.
Tony doesn't expect much.
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:15am.
Tony doesn't expect much. Will hawking obama improve his new album sales?
You see the disconnect from reality...
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:20am.
It's as if all the war and violence is caused by stupid people doing stupid stuff. You would have to think that Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Lennin, etc. were all morons and had somehow gotten to where they could do the damage by sheer luck and happenstance.
A basic cause of war is when one group of people covet what another group has. Does that sound like anyone you have heard recently? It usually takes a very intelligent person and good orator to create the social conditions that lead to one group of people thinking that violent appropriation of what they want is the answer to their problems. Another cause is when keeping the status quo is seen as the most important thing when change is rippling through the society.
How ironic is it that this President who campaigned with the slogans of "Hope" and "Change" is doing everything in his power to keep the status quo and thereby removing all hope from the economy?
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
So what?
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:22am.
I certainly don't buy it, but so what if o is really smart? I've known book-smart geniuses who couldn't figure which way a door opened because it required common sense. Fact is, o is interested in making things worse, not better, and at that he excels.
Please, Mr. Benedetto, you're trying too hard to assuage your white guilt. Take a cue from Frank Sinatra and show love for people of another color through actions, not words. When a place wouldn't let Sammy Davis Jr. perform with him, or if it made him use different facilities than white entertainers, Sinatra would refuse to appear there.
Words are fleeting, Anthony Dominic, and yours don't make sense.
book-smart geniuses who
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:30am.
book-smart geniuses who couldn't figure which way a door opened
or couldn't tell a door from a window.....
Ha!
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:41am.
And in true Chicago form, he looked around for a brick to throw through it.
I spent my life working
Submitted by misterbee241 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:23pm.
with highly intelligent, highly educated people. If you needed to know how his is up, they'd know. if you needed to put a rocket on the moon, they could do it. Having said that, their intelligence is beyond the stratosphere. Everyday common tasks were just too much for them. I remember one scientist who was so intelligent, he'd forget to go home. his wife would call him sometime during the night to remind him he had a home. Another would forget to eat or bathe and he would pass out in the lab and have to be taken to the hospital. Another lived in his office, sleeping behind his desk on the floor. About once a year the corps men would have to come and get him, take him to the hospital, scrub him down with disinfectant and pump him full of vitamins and antibiotics.
So Tony, dont even pretend to tell me about intelligent people
Tony has officially gone off the reservation
Submitted by lesterwink23 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:28am.
I've never been a huge fan of his music, but whenever I saw him on TV Mr. Bennett always seemed to be sincerely nice and almost grandfather-like. Now, it's just sad to listen to him. Senility is a bitch
If only Sinatra were still around . . . .
Submitted by Gat New York on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:40am.
Frank would have come out and either had Bennett mentally committed or he would have quietly made sure Bennett's career was finished which it should be.
Bennett is a mental midget who does not have the capacity to understand what an intellect is.
Talent
Submitted by misterbee241 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:26pm.
pretty much died in America when the last Rat Packer died.
A great singer
Submitted by ronber on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:43am.
A great singer (my favorite make singer) but a man who has acquired absolutely no intelligence in his 85 years on this planet. Sing Tony, sing, but please don't talk in public ever again,!
A Great singer
Submitted by BarnicleBill on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 9:32am.
1st Francis Albert
2nd Jimmy Roselli
3rd Tony Bennett
Love the first, not very
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 9:51am.
Love the first, not familiar with the second, and I would put Al Martino in place of Bennett.
His opinion of Obama notwithsdanding...
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:58am.
Personally, I don't give a hoot what Tony Bennett's opinion of Obama is. We all know the truth, but the fact that Mr. Bennett can't recognize that truth is certainly no reason to deny him his opinion.
Mr. Bennett is a WWII veteran, and that should merit some respectability, regardless of his opinion. Mr. Bennett also values life, and that should also be lauded.
However with all due respect to Mr. Bennett, his passion for life is seriously misplaced. I'm convinced his intentions are good and honourable, but he doesn't realize that wars sometimes need to be fought to defend against tyrrany. Obviously nations should never engage in wars of aggression, but nations should also have the right to defend itself against tyrants and fascists like Hitler and Mussolini.
If Mr. Bennett can't recognize the simple truth that actions like WWII may have actually SAVED lives in the long run (think of the 'butterfly effect'), then are we not entitled to view Mr. Bennett's other opinions with a certain amount of skepticism?
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
I'd say that Tony's long-term
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 8:58am.
I'd say that Tony's long-term pot habit has got the best of whatever common sense and IQ he ever possessed.................
Here's a thought ---
Submitted by The Vet on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 9:09am.
...that what a gift it is to be alive and how we should cherish one another and appreciate one another.
Yeah, let's start with refraining from the urge to fly planes packed with people into buildings packed with people.
Say, was this interview broadcast on Al Jazeera?
The danger of pascifism
Submitted by rgr11 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 9:54am.
The American involvement in the second world war was absolutely necessary.
But WWII would never have happened if France or Britain had stood up to Hitler's belligerence in 1934.
Simply by moving far superior french forces to prevent german army from moving into the demilitarized zone between the countries, millions of lives could have been saved.
But the French labor government just didn't want to appear to be too eager for war.
Hitler's troops gained a toehold in western Europe, and, more importantly, the third Reich knew that their movements would not be challenged by the west.
So what then, is more dangerous..... a people ready to go to war if neccesary, or the "peace at all costs" pascifists?
The danger of pascifism
Submitted by rgr11 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 9:54am.
The American involvement in the second world war was absolutely necessary.
But WWII would never have happened if France or Britain had stood up to Hitler's belligerence in 1934.
Simply by moving far superior french forces to prevent german army from moving into the demilitarized zone between the countries, millions of lives could have been saved.
But the French labor government just didn't want to appear to be too eager for war.
Hitler's troops gained a toehold in western Europe, and, more importantly, the third Reich knew that their movements would not be challenged by the west.
So what then, is more dangerous..... a people ready to go to war if neccesary, or the "peace at all costs" pascifists?
Tony, my man, you are a great
Submitted by celator on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:03am.
Tony, my man, you are a great talent. Leave the history and politics to others.
Just sad to see him this way.
Okay, who forgot to put Tony back in bed?
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:14am.
He's obviously up way past his beddie-boo time.
I'm not even sure if there's much of a response to such insanity. His handlers have the old school NY union thugs or something.
Thanks, Tony ...
Submitted by Karl Magnus on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 10:21am.
For still being relevant at your age. (ahem)
PIERS MORGAN: "Did you think then when Martin Luther King was assassinated, did you think in your lifetime, you would see a black President in America?"
TONY BENNETT: "I think it's the greatest accomplishment that the United States ever came up with."
Excuse ME?
1.) The guy never could sing, he's simply a conduit to the past greats,
2.) He's correct about WWII - none of OUR business in Europe, BUT,
3.) Bennett's re-emergence in the 90s was hilarious, kids who knew no better voice celebrated him,
4.) When the Hollywood crowd slobbers over him, he only gets more obnoxious.
Instead of "Shut up and Sing", Tony should just shut up.
IMHO of course.
~(Ä)~
(God help me) I love his
Submitted by USA4freedom on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:21am.
(God help me) I love his music..
Please Tony Shut the ^%$#@ up and sing..
Please!
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, the Republican party.
obama's numbers....
Submitted by jmigyanka@msn.com on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:34am.
..........Poverty Rate – 14.3% UP, Unemployment Rate – 9.1% (16.2%) UP, Average Weeks Unemployed – 40.3 UP, Median Income - $49,445 DOWN, Health Insurance Premiums - $15,073 UP, Number of Jobs – 139,627,000 DOWN, Inflation Rate – 3.77% UP, Food Stamp Usage – 45.2 Million UP, Average Price of a Gallon of Gas - $3.66 UP, Average Home Value - $171,900 DOWN, National Debt - $14.7 Trillion UP, Deficit – $1.28 Trillion UP -------http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnnyshop/6196456311/sizes/o/in/photostream
We may be witnessing nothing
Submitted by Kenyon Schraeder on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 11:37am.
We may be witnessing nothing more than a glimpse into a man's possible dementia being shamelessly exploited by the media to lend credibility to both the left AND a failing Presidency. He is, after all, in his 80's and he did do lots of drugs way back. Just saying.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:09pm.
Yup--you nailed it.
Freedom is America's #1 Accomplishment
Submitted by felizagain on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:01pm.
He WAS a fine singer. God Bless Him to be going so strong at his age....seriously, good for you Tony.
Thank you for your WWII service, and your charitable works. Your paintings are nice too.
Having said that........please, please, please, stop talking. The very bad Piers show only invited you to get
another 'what did he say' moment like this one. They threw a softball, you hit it out of the park again. Thanks.
Freedom is the USA's #1 accomplishment and gift to the world. We are a nation of different people, religions,
beliefs, likes, dislikes, politics, etc. Hello? Where have you been? Oh wait, that would be Manhattan. Do you
venture far from the hotels, five star restaurants, limos, jets, & $1,000 a sear concert halls these days? Just asking.
Obama is President, and this may shock you sir, but, many, many white, brown, and yellow, and Jewish, and Christian, and atheists voted for him, even, sh-h-h, don't tell, many Republicans did. Mind you, many of them now wish they could have
a do-over.
We had a black Supreme Court Justice, two black Sec. of States, black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, black Senators & Governors & Congressmen, black astronauts, black billionaires, we have Oprah for goodness sakes, and we have a black multi-millionaire who may be the GOP Nominee for President. All that, and the nation hasn't blinked much on any of it.
Hitler, um, well, ok, if you say so. That brilliant, highly bright man you have as President on a Pedastel - he's blasting away with high tech military hardware via NATO, which is 80% USA alone, to rid the world of a bad, bad, bad man....who compared
to Hitler in scope, is like a a canary to a pitbull. Those bombs, bullets, yes, sir, they hit collateral damage areas all the time, and women, children, men, are killed in the name of long term freedom and security .... Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, South America, DMZ, etc.
As I said, good for you Mr. Bennett, happy you have a young girlfriend, a nice thing on your head there, and oodles of cash....
but, please stop talking about politics and war and diversity..... it isn't helping your cause at all.
so now there are...
Submitted by Rackie on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:12pm.
5 signs of a stroke
well....
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:16pm.
We know he left his heart in San Francisco but where did he leave his brain?
lost in san francisco!!
Submitted by STANISZ on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:17pm.
Now we know why he left his heart and brains in San francisco. Him and old nancy must have shared the same reefers!!. COULD,NT do the hope shows at xmas for the troops. Did,nt want to glorifie, killers. But yet he wasted no time doing concerts for the horn dog, CLINTONS DEFENSE FUND. That nose has seen a lot of dust.
Bennett said: "When I said
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:21pm.
Bennett said: "When I said to you earlier that the lowest form of nature is to kill someone, it's the lowest form of humanity, that's the bottom of the line. So we're actually intellectual cavemen at this point. No matter how much technical things we work out, we're still fighting. And it's my dream that some day we'll find out, everybody willlearn that what a gift it is to be alive and how we should cherish one another and appreciate one another."
Going one step further, Bennett is demonstrating that he's just an "intellectual" chimpanzee who's tossing around a bunch of crap.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Unfortunately,
Submitted by almostacowboy on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 12:29pm.
Mr. Bennett's greatness did not ascend past his larynx.
Bennett, an intellectual caveman
Submitted by CobraMan on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:44pm.
"So we're actually intellectual cavemen at this point."
I guess that makes Bennett an intellectual caveman, as he was a part of that, how did he put it, lowest form of humanity as he served in WWII. Well, since Bennett himself admits that he one of the lowest forms of humanity, and an intellectual caveman to boot, WHY should I believe him when he claims that Obama is "very bright, highly bright," especially considering the fact that Obama is actually an intellectual caveman (Lybia, anyone?) by Bennett's own definition?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
How sad.
Submitted by telecaster on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 1:50pm.
I really love this guy's music......so many standards....and he does them so well....but he's got to be smarter than this. Obama this country's greatest accomplishment? "He's very bright. Highly bright."? You're joking Tony right? Defeating fascism, totalitarianism, technological achievements like the space program, communications and medical advancements and so many other accomplishments that in your mind take a back seat to an incompetent, arrogant president who it turns out is not so bright? Sad is the only word for this degree of slovenly thinking.
As we say in Italian,,Sta Zitto, stunod!
Submitted by NJRightWinger12 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:05pm.
Great singer, legendary performer, but geez, Shut up and just friggin SING, Buffone!
And, BTW, best Italian singers in English:
1) Frankie baby
2) Louie Prima
3) Jimmy Roselli
4) Bobby Darin
5) Bennett-and Im being generous!-it should be Al Martino, but I'll give it to Tony based on his resurgence.
Now that we got THAT out of the way, JUST SHUT UP AND SING, paisano!
if i were
Submitted by misterbee241 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:17pm.
a bettin' man, i'd lay pretty good odds Ol' Tony is pro abortion.
Tony, like so many liberals, refuse to accept that man is inherently evil. The heart is full of evil things. That's why we have wars and kill people, because mankind likes it so much.
But hey, I'm just a country preacher, what do I know?
Kill or Murder
Submitted by Surly_Curmudgen on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 3:35pm.
Bennett said: "When I said to you earlier that the lowest form of nature is to kill someone, it's the lowest form of humanity, that's the bottom of the line.
The lowest form of nature is to "murder" someone, especially the most innocent among us, a baby in their mother's womb.
Tony, some times killing is necessary and permissible. Murder is never permissible nor condoned.
I feel that people like
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Tue, 10/11/2011 - 6:03pm.
I feel that people like Bennett who believe that the educated are superior and that talking is better than war, have as their core belief that there is nothing worth fighting or dying for.
There went my respect for Tony!
Submitted by billwhit1357 on Wed, 10/12/2011 - 5:12am.
Needless to say, Tony is getting Alzheimers and has no idea what he says anymore! His family told me that he lives in a fantasy world and actually thinks Obama is a skinny Budda Black Barbie Doll, which Tony likes to play with during his waken hours.
Tony's mind
Submitted by Dr. Sandy Kramer on Thu, 10/13/2011 - 7:35am.
Tony left his mind in San Francisco.
Dr. Sandy Kramer