Michael Moore is not a Saint

This summer, I've been emailing family members with links and commentary, so I thought I'd share some here.

My niece got me started on this little research project in July with her breathless admiration for Fahrenheit 9/11. I haven't seen the movie myself but I knew that her opinion of the "documentary" wasn't universal.

Most articles include numerous links to related items, so there are some cross-references, e.g. to Kopel and Hitchins. Scott Simon's piece appeared in the Wall Street Journal on 7/27.

Critiques and blogs, from both sides of the political spectrum, on
Fahrenheit 9/11:

• http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110005402 (Scott Simon, host of NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday")
• http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/ (Christopher Hitchens, "Unfairenheit 9/11: The lies of Michael Moore.)
• http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20040702.html
• http://www.davekopel.com/Terror/Fiftysix-Deceits-in-Fahrenheit-911.htm
• http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_06_24.html#007356
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19320-2004Jun30.html
• http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/dhenninger/?id=110005392
• (Daniel Henninger of WSJ)
• http://moorewatch.com/index.php/weblog/C18/P0/
• http://www.moorelies.com/articles/

I just have to add a link to John McCain's speech at the Republican National Convention to keep this list current. That's where he referred to Michael Moore as

...a disingenuous film maker who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace when in fact it was a place of indescribable cruelty, torture chambers, mass graves and prisons that destroyed the lives of the small children held inside their walls.

No wonder the Kerry campaign put out this press release: John Kerry for President - The 2004 GOP Convention: Four Days Filled With Lies, Mischaracterizations, Distortions, And Half-Truths

Captain Ed over at www.captainsquartersblog.com has some salty commentary about the press release here.

UPDATE: Gee, the Kerry campaign has taken down the press release. Maybe they do read the Internet. (Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit.)

Fortunately, there are packrats on the Internet. There's a copy of the press release at http://homepage.mac.com/cfj/pr_2004_0905a.html (Hat tip to Jeff Harrell at The Shape of Days)