George Clooney: Serious Political Thinker-at-Large

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Sometimes, after you read a story from the MSM, you have to sit back and say to yourself, "just what in the heck that was all about?" Such is the case with the AP's latest titled "Clooney: Obama's like a rock star," a story that seems to present George Clooney's political opinion as if he is somehow a respected policy wonk, political pundit, or a well-known intellectual. There is no pretext for this story presenting Clooney's political meanderings and no sensible reason why the AP is presenting his blather as news. The AP just presents it straight forwardly as if it is somehow news we all just need to know. All in all, it is an amazing report for its senselessness, cluelessness, and pointlessness. On the other hand, it fits to a tee with the APs editorial position on politics and the world and this fact alone surely accounts for its publication.

Now, usually a story reporting what an entertainer is saying in public is written on the pretext of the debut of the latest release of their newest piece of "art" -- or some outrageous behavior that puts them in the news. But, usually the story is ostensibly about their new movie, new album, or what have you. It is with this pretext that the MSM slips in an entertainer's political views, mixed in with the happy talk about their newest project. After all, why else would we care about this person if not for their art, the thing that has made them famous? But, not in this story. In this one there is no pretext at all. There is simply no reason whatsoever that we are being exposed to Clooney's political claptrap. In this case, we have to assume that either the AP feels that Clooney's politics is the thing we are all clamoring to hear about or they feel his point of view is important enough to air sans any linkage to a latest film or other project, free of any legitimate reason we might be interested in him.

VENICE, Italy - Barack Obama has the aura of a rock star, says George Clooney, who also had some kind words for other Democratic presidential candidates.

"You've been in a room once in a while with a rock star. He walks into the world, and he takes your breath away. I'd love him to be president, quite honestly," the actor told reporters Friday at the Venice Film Festival, where his legal thriller "Michael Clayton" was premiering.

Clooney, who banked a check for Obama at a private $1.3 million fundraiser in Beverly Hills last February, praised the U.S. senator for speaking out early against the Iraq war.

But with more than a year until the election, Clooney also said he liked Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards — and pondered whether former Vice President Al Gore might vie for the presidency again.

"It could be interesting," he said.

The politics of war was in the air at Venice, with two U.S. films competing for the Golden Lion dealing with the impact of the Iraq conflict.

Clooney -- who said he made "Syriana" and "Good Night, and Good Luck," out of anger that he was labeled a traitor for questioning the decision to go to war -- told reporters he thinks change is coming.

He said he believes Americans are now in the process of fixing the mistakes of the last few years.

Fixing things, "that's what Americans have been really good at," he said.

There you have it. The brilliance of George Clooney. Let's give him a hand, folks.

...oh, and, yes, that's the WHOLE report. I did no editing. I chopped nothing, shortened nothing, nor altered it. That was it. That really, really, was all there was to it.

Hard to believe, isn't it?

Now, go back a read it again. Notice the entire lack of serious discussion, the emptiness of its logic, the bald faced assumptions that he is just right in all he is saying with nothing backing up the claims. Notice that there just isn't any there, there.

Several questions arise after reading this bit of fluff:

• Why do we care what George Clooney is saying about politics?
• Why did the AP imagine this was worth reporting?
• What body of political work has Clooney achieved to make his opinion of interest? (Whether elected office, University study, or even serious analysis and writing?)
• Does playacting in a movie make one an expert in anything? (Can you become a Doctor because you played one on film?)

And after pondering all that, one cannot help but to come to the conclusion that George Clooney's opinions on politics are meaningless, gibberish that no one who is serious about politics would be interested in. And, finally, you must conclude that this was a pointless AP story that cannot be taken seriously.

So... why DID they publish it?