Halfwits in AmericaSmital Love

Having originally attained fame as "The Man with No Name," iconic film star Clint Eastwood made a big impression during the Superbowl by appearing as "The Man with No Clue" in a two minute political ad for Barack Obama which was pretending to sell Chryslers. Not that either Obama or buying cars was specifically mentioned.

The same liberal mainstream media that has embraced the idea of "dog whistle racism" (in which words like "Founding Fathers" or "Constitution" are considered racist) are ridiculing the idea that the alleged car commercial had any political content. But the script tells another story.

Over a montage of photos of hollow-eyed people who look like extras from "The Grapes of Wrath," Clint growls, "It’s halftime in America. People are out of work and they’re hurting. And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game."

Want to buy a new car yet? No? Okay, maybe this is Clint's sales pitch: "I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life. And times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems like we’ve lost our heart at times. When the fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead. "

Oh, that's why Chryslers stopped selling - because we didn't understand each other in the fog of division and discord! Or, um, not.

So hey, Clint, what about the great new features in the latest Chryslers? Tell us about those!

"After those trials, we all rallied around what was right and acted as one," snarls Clint while ignoring our pleas to hear about crash safety, road-hugging driving satisfaction, and superduper government mandated gas mileage. "Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one. All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together? And, how do we win?"

That's odd. When we hear "winning," we think of contests like elections - not auto manufacturing. And just what do cars have to do with all of us "coming together?"

Theoretically, the spot was intended to show the resurrection of Detroit's auto industry (even though the new shots of a revitalized "Detroit" were actually filmed in Los Angeles and New Orleans) and the fact that the script was written by an ad agency with connections to the Obama campaign is purely coincidental.

Sort of like the way it's purely coincidental that Chrysler received so much taxpayer money from Barack Obama (over a billion dollars of which hasn't been paid back)...and their Superbowl commercial just happens to be making the case to give him a second term.

Frankly, the commercial made us want to do anything but buy a car from Government Motors.

But just maybe, if we watch Clint in "Gran Torino" again, we'll change our minds.