Tampa: Movie legend Clint Eastwood, who is supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, took an `invisible` Barack Obama to task by bizarrely addressing an empty chair at the Republican national convention here.
Eastwood, 82, was the surprise speaker at the convention and the `Dirty Harry` star used the stage to interrogate Obama as he chatted to an empty chair next to him. "So I`ve got Mr Obama sitting here. I was just going to ask him a couple questions. I remember three-and-a-half years ago, Mr Obama won the election. Though I wasn`t a big supporter I was watching that night. They were having a thing and they were talking about `Hope and Change` and `Yes We Can`.”
"It was dark and we were outdoors... People were lighting candles. I thought, `This is great`. Everyone was crying. Oprah was crying. I was even crying... I haven`t cried that hard since I found out that there are 23 million unemployed people in this country. Now that is something to cry for because that is a national disgrace and we haven`t done enough obviously," Eastwood said.
In his 15-minute somewhat rambling speech, Eastwood said, "This administration hasn`t done enough... I think possibly it may be time for someone else to come along and solve the problem." Referring to Obama`s law degree, Eastwood continued, "I never thought that it was a good idea for attorneys to be President anyway. I think attorneys are always taught to argue and everything else... I think it`s maybe time for a businessman. A stellar businessman."
"When somebody does not do the job, you`ve got to let them go," he added.
When a woman in crowd shouted his iconic dialogue "Make my day!", Eastwood joked: "I don`t say that word anymore." He acquiesced and told the crowd: "I`ll start it and you finish it: Go ahead... `Make my day`."
PTI