Legendary Singer Tony Bennett Tells Howard Stern That America ‘Caused’ 9/11

Legendary singer and performer Tony Bennett may find himself in hot water after what the New York Daily News is calling a "bizarre" interview with radio shock jock Howard Stern.

During his exchange with Stern, Bennett claimed that America "caused" the 9/11 attacks. The 85-year-old, who initially seemed reluctant to make statements on the matter, ended up delving directly into the controversy. Listen to the audio, via SharpElbows.net, below:

When Stern asked the singer what America was supposed to do with the terrorists who blew up the World Trade Center, Bennett responded:

"But who are the terrorists. Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists...two wrongs don't make a right?"

Stern, clearly a bit surprised by the response, said:

"They're the ones who started with that plane flying into the World Trade Center. What do you do?"

At this point, Bennett said, "I don't know about that. That's another story," referring to his belief that America may be responsible for the attacks. Then, he indicated that he didn't want to delve into the controversial subject matter. But with some prodding, Stern was able to get additional commentary flowing.

Stern asked if Bennett is a conspiracy theorist who doesn't believe that terrorists are responsible for flying planes into the World Trade Center. "No, they flew the plane in, but we caused it," Bennett responded. "We were bombing them and they told us to stop."

Even more bizarre than these claims, Bennett says that President George W. Bush admitted to him at an event back in 2005 that going to war in Iraq was a major mistake. The New York Daily News has more:

"He told me personally that night that, he said, 'I think I made a mistake,'" said Bennett, who was appearing on the show to promote his new album, "Duets II."

Bennett said he believed that the president made this revelation because "he had a special liking to me."

Considering that the nation just commemorated the 10th anniversary of the attacks, these comments are particularly striking.