More Distortions From Michael Moore

MSNBC ^ | 06/30/04 | Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball

[Pikamax]

More Distortions From Michael Moore Some of the main points in ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ really aren’t very fair at allWEB EXCLUSIVE By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball Newsweek Updated: 6:26 p.m. ET June 30, 2004June 30 - In his new movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” film-maker Michael Moore makes the eye-popping claim that Saudi Arabian interests “have given” $1.4 billion to firms connected to the family and friends of President George W. Bush. This, Moore suggests, helps explain one of the principal themes of the film: that the Bush White House has shown remarkable solicitude to the Saudi royals, even to the point of compromising the war on terror. When you and your associates get money like that, Moore says at one point in the movie, “who you gonna like? Who’s your Daddy?”

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But a cursory examination of the claim reveals some flaws in Moore’s arithmetic—not to mention his logic. Moore derives the $1.4 billion figure from journalist Craig Unger’s book, “House of Bush, House of Saud.” Nearly 90 percent of that amount, $1.18 billion, comes from just one source: contracts in the early to mid-1990’s that the Saudi Arabian government awarded to a U.S. defense contractor, BDM, for training the country’s military and National Guard. What’s the significance of BDM? The firm at the time was owned by the Carlyle Group, the powerhouse private-equity firm whose Asian-affiliate advisory board has included the president’s father, George H.W. Bush.

[Freee-dame]

that's only 2.6 million people or less than 10% of the population. I guarantee the majority of those people weren't going to vote for Bush to begin with.

I agree that they were mostly Dem Kool-aid drinkers, and, happily, not even 1% of the US population.

[nuffsenuff]

Was my math wrong?

Even better!

[TC Rider]

Wow, Spikey hits a homer.

[pfflier]

I agree that the press is in a the attack mode against the president, to the point of it being character assasination.

The media has decided that it wants President Bush out of office. It has done everything in its power to see that happen since President Bush kicked out the Helen Thomas troll from the White House Press Pool.

President Nixon suffered similarly when he had Spiro Agnew go out against “the nattering nabobs of negativism”.

[Steel Wolf]

'(Americans) are possibly the dumbest people on the planet," Moore told Britain's Mirror newspaper recently, referring to his fellow citizens as a whole.

"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people" H.L. Mencken

I think you're right, and both Moore and Mencken support your idea. Moore is making a bundle off of the dumbest segment of society.

[A Citizen Reporter]

"It has done everything in its power to see that happen since President Bush kicked out the Helen Thomas troll from the White House Press Pool."

?????Last I checked, she was still there.

[mtbopfuyn]

Teresa's billions aren't enough. The Austin, TX RAT party has bought up all tickets to F-9/11 and for a "donation" of at least twice as much as the price of a ticket, they'll give you a "free" ticket. It's not illegal scalping because you're making a "donation" rather than buying a ticket.

[chiller]

save

[backhoe]

Backhoe, are you keeping track of this stuff?

Sort of- it's added to the Dark Underbelly, and if it persists long enough, I may go back a do a standalone post on the subject.