Fahrenheit 9/11

I saw the movie. You should (but only if you can find it for less than $10). Moore did a good job at keeping it factually ironclad; there's very little that conservatives will be able to say against it. Obviously it's a partisan piece, but most of his criticisms of the administration are legitimate, including the lies they told us to go to war, the cozy relationship with some specific business interests, etc. Every administration in history has had some level of corruption, and it's independent, opposition media like Moore that keep this country as good as it is. Bush needs Moore and his ilk to call him to account, critically examine his policies, and provide Americans with an alternative. You don't have to agree with Moore to see the need for him.

Moore, of course, would do no better in office. Many of his propositions sound like a policy wishlist. Who could be against better-staffed State Police, more intelligent airline security, or more jobs? However, if Moore really had a U.S. budget in front of him, he'd have to make some tough decisions between good policies. Of course, that's something that Bush is exempt from: he (apparently) can slash revenues and increase spending at the same time - and get away with it!

Will this help John Kerry? No, except inasmuch as it hurts Bush. Kerry isn't mentioned once, and the Senate Democrats are portrayed accurately as a group of do-nothing acquiescers "collaborating" (in the words of a recent cartoon) "on their own irrelevancy".