Actor Tim Robbins Blasts Media for "Ignoring the High Crimes" Committed by Bush

As picked up by the DrudgeReport, an AFP dispatch from Greece on Tuesday recounted how left-wing actor Tim Robbins, “at a news conference in Athens promoting his stage version of George Orwell's 1984,” blasted President Bush's policies and the news media for ignoring Bush's supposed crimes. “We have right now a media that is willfully ignoring the high crimes and misdemeanors of the President of the United States," Robbins charged. He lamented that “Clinton lied about a blowjob, and got impeached by the media and Congress," while Bush “got us into the [Iraq] war based on lies that he knew were lies....yet no one in the media is calling for impeachment."

The un-bylined May 2 AFP dispatch from Athens added that “Robbins pointed out similarities between current U.S. policies on terrorism and the authoritarian society described by Orwell” in his 1984 novel: “'Unfortunately, the book and the play is more relevant now than it ever has been,' he said. '(It) talks about continuous warfare as a means to control the Western economy, and as a way to control rebel elements within society through the use of fear, constant fear.'" Citing the “renditioning of innocent people without trial,” Robbins asserted: “This is exactly what Orwell was talking about when he spoke of thought crimes." (With link to video of earlier call for Bush's impeachment)

I checked around tonight and couldn't find any other news dispatch online about the comments nor any news or entertainment TV show which aired any video of this, and none may exist. But I will keep my eyes open over the next few days to see if any turns up on a U.S. news or entertainment news program.

Robbins' overseas attack on President Bush was hardly original for him. He launched the same rant, from Los Angeles, on CBS in December of 2004. An MRC CyberAlert, “Tim Robbins Urges a 'Good, Old-Fashioned Impeachment' of Bush,” recounted:

Actor Tim Robbins has called for the impeachment of President George W. Bush. His long-time companion, Susan Sarandon, guest-hosted CBS's Late Late Show on Friday night [December 17] and when guest Gore Vidal, a far-left author, recommended that Bush "resign," Robbins, who appeared as Sarandon's sidekick who made martinis for Sarandon, himself and the guests, suggested: "How about a good, old-fashioned impeachment?" Robbins recalled how Clinton was impeached "for lying about oral sex" and asked rhetorically: "So it's more of a high crime and misdemeanor to lie about oral sex than it is to lie about intelligence that forces a country into war?"

Video: To play a 40-second RealPlayer video clip (streaming only) of Robbins taking his shot, go to the December 20, 2004 MRC CyberAlert.