Donald Sutherland Rules

You don't need me to tell you that. You all know Donald Sutherland, so you know how much he rules already. He just popped up on the BBC to remind us all the other day about the fact that he exists, he's on the new show "Commander in Chief" on ABC, and he's yet another communist liberal leftie limousine pinko red Hollywood latte-drinking traitor who doesn't know anything about "real Americans."

"They were inept. The were inadequate to the task, and they lied," Sutherland charged.

"And they were insulting, and they were vindictive. And they were heartless. They did not care. They do not care. They do not care about Iraqi people. They do not care about the families of dead soldiers. They only care about profit."

All true. And well said. Now, I should point out that the only reason I know about Sutherland's remarks are because the Weasel in a Fedora, Matt Drudge, posted them on his online jizz rag, The Drudge Report.

Oh, I hate linking to the Drudge Report. Just the thought of that guy in his stupid hat sitting behind a keyboard in his apartment pretending to be a journalist...It's times like this that I wish I believed in God, because I would totally pray right now for Matt Drudge to develop painful anal warts. I wouldn't pray for him to die, of course, because that would be wrong. Also, I'm pretty sure that unless you are a vampire or you know how to conduct a Black Mass or something, God pretty much ignores the homicide prayers.

Drudge, of course, paints the story as yet another douchebag Hollywood celebrity with the gall to go overseas and tell them what's happening in this country. I mean, can you imagine? This famous person who is constantly being asked on television to state his opinions about government due to his involvement with a government-themed program actually told an interviewer how he honestly felt? Doesn't he know that this sort of thing simply isn't done by Americans any more?

Choking back tears, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF star Donald Sutherland warned this week: President Bush "will destroy our lives!"

"Choking back tears" is an interesting choice of phrase for the first sentence of the article. Now, if the man was crying, I could see putting that in the lead. "Weeping and emotional, COMMANDER IN CHIEF star Donald Sutherland expressed his concerns this week that the Bush administration will 'destroy our lives.'" That's how I would phrase it, if Sutherland had been crying.

But here, he apparently wasn't crying. He was simply showing some sign of emotion. But Drudge goes out of his way to note the absence of tears (they were choked back) to make Sutherland seem overly emotional, hyperbolic and, dare I say it, effeminite.

Also, I bet Sutherland didn't loudly exclaim "he will destory our lives!" He probably said this soberly, in a matter-of-fact way, as that's how he's spoken almost every time I've ever seen him interviewed. Not a terrifically exciteable guy.

The star of the new ABC drama, which follows the first woman President of the United States, lashed out at the real White House during a dramatic sit down interview with the BBC.

Please, people, I beg of you...Always pay attention to the use of language in these kinds of articles. Remember that the first article or two that comes out about any given story tends to set the tone for all other articles about that story. Journalists always have a "narrative" that they are picking up on when they attack a story as writers, and unfortunately, early-on-the-scene right wing douchebags like Drudge have a hand in constructing that narrative.

Sutherland didn't express his views about his nation's leadership. He "lashed out." Again, emotional, overly-excited. It wasn't just a televised interview. It was a "dramatic sit-down." Over and over, Drudge is trying to convince you that this is a matter of (1) significance, (2) symbolic importance and (3) embarrassment for Hollywood liberals and, by association, the American Left.

At one point during the session, Sutherland started crying: "We stolen our children's future... We have children. We have children. How dare we take their legacy from them. How dare we. It's shameful. What we are doing to our world."

So, here, he was crying. I would really like to see this tape. I can't know for sure if this is an accurate representation of what it as really like. (I also don't know if Sutherland is reponsible for saying 'we stolen' or if it's a trademark Drudge typo). It's just interesting to me that the article so clearly considers this an inappropriate thing to say, when I think it's totally sensible, correct and, really, known by most Americans at this point.

I feel like, unless you're a complete fool, you basically know how it has all gone down at this point, right? I'm not saying everyone hates Bush now. Most of the people who have always liked him still liked him. But now you like him because he's your guy, and it's us vs. them, more than you're actaully a fan of his leadership style. When the politicians to whom you're most frequently compared are LBJ, Nixon and Nero, you've got some problems.

Here we are, it's late 2005. Iraq is on the brink of a complete civil war, a full year and a half after we declared the end of our military operation there. Much of America's Gulf Coast has been destroyed by hurricanes along with local and federal governmental incompetence. Several key House Republicans are being openly implicated in a variety of schemes and corrupt financial endeavors. Terrorism in the Middle East and around the world continues unabated. The defecit spirals out of control, spending and borrowing continue to increase, as the economy remains stagnant. Gas prices have jumped up sharply and show no signs of decreasing. The New York Times reporter possibly responsible for leaking the identity of an undercover CIA agent has agreed to reveal that her source was the Vice President's Chief Advisor. Rappers are going on national television to announce their dislike for the president.

And that's all Sutherland is saying. Isn't that cause for respect and admiration, to stand up and make a statement like that when you know you'll be torn apart for it back home?