Pro-Bush Celebs Miss Out on the Limelight

LOS ANGELES – While celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen have taken center stage at anti-war rallies, other high-profile personalities who are decidedly pro-Bush haven't gotten the spotlight of media coverage.

Former senator and current Law & Order star Fred Thompson is just one of the growing number of well-known faces who say they support the president's stance on Iraq -- and want the American people to know not all celebs are against the administration.

"I have been kind of surprised at the unanimity that seems to be coming out of Hollywood against those policies and against those precedents that have been established," said Thompson, who has also appeared in movies such as The Hunt for Red October. "I think it's important to have someone from the other side."

Thompson worked with the organization Citizens United to produce a commercial supporting the war on Iraq -- challenging an anti-war ad by fellow NBC actor Martin Sheen of The West Wing.

"Hollywood and the anti-war movement have joined forces to attack President Bush as our nation goes to war," reads the group's Web site. "Citizens United Foundation is fighting back."

Thompson's ad, according to the site, "encourages all Americans to come together and support our men and women in uniform as they fight the war on terror."

And Thompson is not alone in praising Bush: Dennis Hopper, Rob Lowe, Dennis Miller, Howard Stern, rocker Ted Nugent and even hard-partying Kid Rock have all come out in support of military action against Iraq.

In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, comedian Miller said he was a "Bush fan" and talked about his support for military action in Iraq.

"If you're in a peace march and the guy next to you has a sign that says 'Bush is Hitler,' forget the peace thing for a second and beat his [expletive]," Miller said.

As for why pro-Bush celebs generally keep a low profile, Miller told Fox News' Bill O'Reilly that in Hollywood being a conservative can cost a performer his livelihood.

"I think there are more conservatives in Hollywood than you would think, but I don't think they're going to come out because you never know why you don't get your next job," he said.

In an interview on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes, Thompson said Hollywood has been known to look down on conservatives, but he thinks political beliefs don't play a major role in casting decisions.

"If [someone] has a good person for a role, they're going give it to them. But there's a little bit of chilling effect. There's no question about that," he said. "But so what? I think that is throughout life. And you have to decide early on whether or not you're going to be intimidated by that sort of thing."

Action star Bruce Willis, starring in the military-themed Tears of the Sun currently in theaters, said recently that if he could, he'd stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. troops.

"I love the United States, if I could serve, I would," he said. "I'm too old now ... But I try to serve my country in another way. I volunteer to be the national spokesperson for the children in foster care, which is a federal program. But if I could go, I would serve."

While stars on both sides of the political spectrum voice their beliefs, some critics caution celebs not to ally themselves too closely with certain agendas, especially when much of the public only wants to listen to actors when they're on the silver screen.

"I don't think it helps anybody to take you away from what you do best and what people pay you to do, which is to entertain, not to screech and to preach" said film critic Michael Medved. "A great deal, particularly of the anti-war sentiment, has been screechy and preachy. I don't think that advances anyone's career."

Fox News' Amy C. Sims contributed to this report.