Last week I wrote about how upset I was by, what I thought was, a gratuitous anti-Bush scene in the movie Sideways. I was thinking about that while driving home tonight (I pretty much do all my thinking in the car or in the shower) and I'm afraid that that post gave the wrong impression.

While I may not like the content of a typical liberal filmmaker's statements, I don't object to the making of those statements. It's their right. What bothered me about Sideways was the haphazard and random way the anti-Bush sentiment was put into the film. It had nothing to do with the story and was just a "me too" move by the filmmaker.

Maybe it's not fair, but I do distinguish between political statements made through works of art and political statements made by artists and celebrities. Some artists are fueled to express themselves through their work. Politics is their muse. Other artists simply want to use their celebrity as a platform.

I may not always agree with a Chuck D., for example, but I certainly respect his ability as an artist to craft his messages so compellingly. At the same time, I liked the Dixie Chick's music, but I lost all respect for them when they talked about being ashamed to be from the same state as the President.

I look at it this way, if you've made a political film, written a political song or painted a political picture, you've earned the right to receive publicity for your views. If, however, you're a cast member of a TV sitcom and you want to tell me how to vote, I'll resent it and call you an asshatted celebrity.