James Lileks: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Drops Political Discourse Level (The Gore/Moore party)

It's been said that "Fahrenheit 9/11" is the left's "The Passion of the Christ" — red meat for true believers. Except that it's George W. Bush who sacrifices others on his behalf. Except that Michael Moore's version would have the Sanhedrin in league with the Romans and the aqueduct construction brigades, and it would all be about water.

The question now is what the Democratic establishment will do with this film: embrace it, ignore it or triangulate their way to a position that satisfies the party's reasonable majority while placating the angry loons who want to truss Bush up in his flight jacket and hang him from his heels.

For the constituency that wants John Kerry to wear an "I Like Mike" button for the rest of the campaign, look no further than Al Gore. But keep your distance: The man breathes fire these days. Aides have to print his notes on sheets of asbestos. He's a new man, it seems.

In power, he told us that Saddam Hussein had WMD programs and terrorist connections. Out of power, relying on The Nation instead of those silly CIA briefings, he decides that Iraq was slightly less dangerous than Monaco and certainly not as dangerous as the jackbooted gang that runs Gulag America today.

I'm probably being naive, I think there is going to be a backlash against this propaganda. It's vile, full of distortion and lies. Truth will prevail.

I hope you're right, but I fear you're wrong. This left-wing ait piece on Bush has very nearly hit the mainstream, whereas accusations that Clinton ran drugs, arranged for the deaths of a variety of former associates, was a serial rapist, etc., etc., never really went anywhere outside of rightist publications. This guy Moore has built a broad audience for his screed. I am genuinely impressed; we have no equal in the conservative camp, and he may go down in history as being the most effective propagandist ever.

This crap is mainstream, I'm not sure there will be much of a backlash this year. It's everywhere. The other night, MTV was talking to teenagers who saw the movie and they all just clamored on about how it was such an eye-opener, the most powerful thing they had ever seen, it convinced them of the truth, etc. Sick and sad. But it is having an effect.

I like Lileks, thanks for posting.

"Sick and sad. But it is having an effect."

Of course, this is the same tactic that media outlets use; "man on the street" interviews are largely BS, because the news agency only has to portray the ones they agree with in order to create their desired impression.

I'm getting kind of tired of the people who keep droning on about how the generation currently in high school and college is going to be more left-wing than anything we've ever seen.

I saw this movie for free, I recommend you all try to do the same. I downloaded it for free off the Lion's Gate website last weekend.

It is a terrible terrible movie. Firstly, it's boring. Moore narrates the whole thing in smarmy, snide monotone. He starts the movie with 20 minutes of rambling about ties between the Bushes and the Saudis, in which you see 300 slides of Bush_001 shaking hands with Saudi_002. Riveting.

In another dreadfully pointless segment, Moore follows two Marine recruiters around Flint, Michigan as they *gasp* attempt to recruit young people to enlist. The guys use typical sales tactics to try to get names and numbers from mall rats and gangstas. For ten minutes. It was like watching paint dry on a Chevy Nova.

The final segment is heartwrenchingly dreadful. Moore has found a military mom whose son died in Iraq. His last letter home bagged on George Bush. The mom travels to Washington, DC, where Moore videotapes her breaking down and sobbing and shrieking unconontrollably in the mall. I suppose it's important for us all to understand the reality of the sacrifices that are being made. But the way Moore lays bare this public grief feels ghoulish.

And then of course there's the obligatory Moore chasing powerful people around, microphone in hand, in this case asking Congressmen if they'll enlist their kids in the army. At one point, a congressman gives Moore a look that pretty much says, "Wow, are you really this retarded? Yeah, you donut chewing turd, I'll go haul his ass off the couch and down to boot camp right now." Any idiot knows a parent can't enlist their kid in the army, it's a free choice made by every member of the military to serve their country. The fact that Moore would obfuscate that truth, that even the woman's son who died had chosen to serve, nails home the reality that his movie is a pyramid of lies.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.