The 'Buck' Stops Here: Voight Stumps for Rudy
Actor regrets '60s excess, admires Oprah, hits trail for Giuliani.
Jan. 23, 2008— -- Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight inserted himself into presidential politics late last week when he hit the road in Florida to tout the candidacy of Rudy Giuliani.
"Rudy Giuliani represents strength, character, courage and clear thinking," Voight told ABC News aboard Giuliani's campaign bus as it rolled through the Sunshine State. "No thrills, just straight stuff you know? And that's what we need. He has proved everything, well, didn't he? Rudy Giuliani is one of those people who has this special gift of leadership."
In a wide-ranging one-on-one interview, Voight elaborated on his support for the former New York City mayor and expressed regret for his politics during the 1960s, Oprah Winfrey and the Democratic field.
Voight, whose career was launched by the movie "Midnight Cowboy," said he felt compelled to campaign for Giuliani, primarily because of the former mayor's foreign policy.
"We're faced with this war against us. We want somebody strong, who knows what's going on, and who's not going to be played with. And somebody who also is gonna fix all the things that need to be fixed," said Voight.
"This is a guy who knows how to fix it. He has fixed it. He's already done it," he said. "We couldn't have a better candidate. I'm proud to be standing by his side. But really why I am here is to help it happen -- help him become president of the United States."
While it is not unusual for a Hollywood actor to hit the stump for a specific candidate, this is the 69-year-old actor's first public foray into politics. And he didn't always favor the Republican approach.
"In the '60s I was on the left side of things, and I regret it, by the way. I wasn't seeing things clearly. And it wasn't easy to see things clearly in the '60s because there was so much nonsense going on, you know?" said the actor.
"For reasons we knew not why, but for whatever reason, we thought it was patriotic to be against the government," he added. "You have to look back upon it and learn, not repeat the mistakes of the past but learn from them -- make sure that the future generations are not infected with the scars of that generation."
