Oliver Stone is ‘ashamed’ for America

Oliver Stone was so restrained, mild and flag-wavingly patriotic as he hawked his latest film, “World Trade Center,� in America this past summer. Now promoting his film in Europe, the director of “Platoon,� “JFK� and “Wall Street� is sounding more characteristically pugnacious.

At a news conference at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, Stone attacked President Bush and said he “set America back 10 years.�

“We have destroyed the world in the name of security,� he told the assembled press this week prior to a screening of his film, which chronicles the rescue of two Port Authority officers from the rubble of the World Trade Center after the attack of Sept. 11, 2001. “This war on Iraq is a disaster. I’m disgraced. I’m ashamed for my country. I’m also ashamed that America has attacked itself with its constitutional breakdowns. I’m deeply ashamed.�

In a blow to conspiracy theorists, the director dismissed allegations that the U.S. government may have known about the attacks in advance.

“I think that conspiracy-mongering on 9/11 is a waste of time,� he said. “The far greater conspiracy occurred after 9/11 when basically a neo-cabal inside our government hijacked policy and went to war. That was as broad a conspiracy as we can get and it was about 20, 30 people. That’s all, they took over and all these books are coming out and they are pointing it out.�

Rachel Abramowitz