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<p><font bgcolor="#FFFFFF" color="#990000"
face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="6"><b><font color="#000000">Cusack
slams corporate media, talks up new movie 'War, Inc.' in wide-ranging
interview</font></b></font>
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<td colspan="2"><strong>Larisa Alexandrovna<br>
</strong><font color="#990000"
face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1"><font
color="#000000" face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" size="1">Published:
Wednesday May 7, 2008</font></font><br>
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<p><img src="cid:part3.02060004.04030200@mailbag.com" align="right"
border="1" height="500" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="317"><i>Want
to attend a screening of War, Inc. for free with two Raw Story writers?
Want John Cusack to see your talent as a limerick writer? See details
at the end of the interview.</i></p>
<p>Actor, writer, director John Cusack has a lot to say about the Iraq
war and the current state of US politics. Although he frequently uses
such forums as the <i>Huffington Post</i> to express his criticism of
the Bush administration, in his new film, <i><a linkindex="29"
href="http://www.firstlookstudios.com/films/warinc/">War Inc.</a>,</i>
he really pulls out all the stops to shine a damningly aggressive light
on the privatization of war.</p>
<p>Cusack sat down with Raw Story's Larisa Alexandrovna to discuss the
film, his political views and his take on the state of mainstream
media, which he feels has failed in its role as the public watchdog.</p>
<p>"I think in a way you can almost respect the criminals more than the
enablers in some sick way -- I mean, I think what the Bush
administration has done is criminal, should be treated as a crime, but
the idea that people who call themselves journalists let these lies go
on unchecked and endorsed them time and time again is [unpardonable],"
Cusack said. "Don't get me wrong, I think great journalism is heroic, I
am in awe of great journalists."</p>
<p>The journalists Cusack goes on to praise are a small contingent --
including the legendary Bill Moyers, Naomi Klein, Sy Hersh and Keith
Olbermann. Cusack also credits alternative press outlets like Raw Story
and blogs like <a set="yes" linkindex="30"
href="http://www.crooksandliars.com">Crooks and Liars</a> with keeping
the public informed.</p>
<p><i>War, Inc.</i> is not subtle as far as satire goes, but it is
precisely the sledgehammer hit -- the "shock" of the totally outlandish
and suffocating all-over-the-place bombing of the viewer's senses --
that makes the film a truly onomatopoeic visual to the audacious crimes
it is ridiculing on screen.</p>
<p>The plot revolves around a corporate hit-man, Brand Hauser (Cusack),
who is hired by a corrupt US defense contractor called Tamerlane to
assassinate the oil minister of the fictional Middle Eastern country of
Turaqistan, which has been invaded by the United States. Tamerlane's
CEO is a former United States Vice President, played brilliantly by Dan
Aykroyd and obviously based on the current real life Vice President and
former Halliburton CEO, Dick Cheney.</p>
<p>Asked what Cusack would say to Vice President Dick Cheney if he had
the opportunity, Cusack wisecracks, "You have the right to remain
silent."</p>
<p>Cusack is far more serious on the topic of torture and violations of
the Geneva Conventions by Bush administration officials.</p>
<p>"You know, Nuremberg [the post World War II Nuremberg trials of the
leaders and enablers of Nazi Germany] said that an illegal invasion of
a sovereign country in a war of aggression is a supreme war crime."</p>
<p>Cusack wonders why no one in the press has made this a bigger issue
and why Democrats in Congress have not made it a priority.</p>
<p>A clip from the movie appears below, followed by <a set="yes"
linkindex="31" href="http://rawstory.com"><font color="#ff0000">RAW
STORY</font></a>'s exclusive interview.<br>
</p>
<p><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://rawstory.com/news/2008/The_Dada_HitMan_Cometh_0507.html">http://rawstory.com/news/2008/The_Dada_HitMan_Cometh_0507.html</a><br>
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