Misshapen comeback kid Mickey Rourke's been on an upswing since his Golden Globe win, but the real drama is whether he can he stay out of his own way until the Oscars finally get here.

His new ad for PETA only adds to the actor's tough/sensitive mystique (even if it may remind audiences that Rourke himself is no stranger to superfluous surgeries). However, what of Rourke's admission to GQ that though he didn't really follow politics enough to pay attention to Barack Obama's election, people need to start laying off President Bush?

"President Bush was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I don't know how anyone could have handled this situation," the actor said in an interview with GQ magazine.

"I don't give a —— who's in office, Bush or whoever, there is no simple solution to this problem... I'm not one of those who blames Bush for everything. This —— between Christians and Muslims goes back to the Crusades, doesn't it." He added: "It's too easy to blame everything on one guy. These are unpredictable, dangerous times, and I don't think that anyone really knows quite what to do."

The actor also told the magazine he was surprised at Britain's approach to fundamentalists and the freedom of speech in the UK.

"I was in London recently and I couldn't believe all these hate-talking fanatics you have over here who are allowed to carry on doing their thing even when a bus full of women and children gets blown to pieces."

Mickey, a bit of advice: a little contrarian conservatism will only add some spice to your quirky profile, but when Big Hollywood come along and asks whether they can append your byline to their latest boilerplate screed against gay Communist Muslim executives in Hollywood, just say no. You don't want to offend any!