The Daschle/Moore hug/apology story is now getting even more interesting. According to this morning's Rapid City Journal, Daschle denies hugging Moore! Somebody is fibbing. A recent Time magazine cover story said this about Moore:
"At the Washington premiere, Moore sat a few rows behind Daschle. Afterward, says Moore, ‘He gave me a hug and said he felt bad and that we were all gonna fight from now on. I thanked him for being a good sport.'"
Now Daschle denies he hugged Moore and even denies ever meeting Moore. Would someone tell me what's going on here? I know Moore is known for a career built on lies, but this one is a real whopper. If Moore did lie, why? Was he trying to work his way deeper into the Democratic Party establishment? Or is he such an outsider and a hater of insiders that he thought he could hurt Daschle back in South Dakota by linking the Senator to one of the nation's primary left-wing demagogues? Who knows. My basic point, however, is still the same: I think it was morally irresponsible for Daschle and other Democratic leaders to embrace (whether literally or not) a nut like Moore in a time of international crisis. They should denounce Moore. The Economist even noted Daschle's odd silence about such an outrageous movie. The best statement on all this so far is Michael Barone's piece in US News entitled "The Company They Keep." Barone says "Seldom have leaders of a political party promoted a commercial film so shamelessly." Barone also notes this:
It's amazing that any politician, however opposed to Bush, would want to be associated with this film or its maker, a man who said shortly after the 9/11 attacks: "We, the United States of America, are culpable in committing so many acts of terror and bloodshed that we had better get a clue about the culture of violence in which we have been active participants." As for the current situation in Iraq, Moore has written: "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow--and they will win." Are these messages Democrats really wish to embrace?
Barone also says:
Presumably, McAuliffe, Daschle, and the other Democrats had a good time laughing at Bush in Fahrenheit 9/11. And they might take comfort from the fact that it had the highest first-weekend gross of any documentary ever, beating out Jackass: the Movie. There is indeed a large constituency that hates Bush and would rather see the United States humbled in Iraq than a Bush victory in November. But it's dangerous for a party and a presidential candidate to be identified so closely with those who hold such views. If you are seen as rooting against America, as Michael Moore seems to be, it's awfully hard to get a majority of Americans to vote for you.
This whole episode, if it turns out Moore is lying, is a great lesson in why Daschle and other Democratic leaders should stay away from such a perverse and destructive figure as Moore. Also, if Moore is lying, shouldn't Daschle be furious?!? I would be. Daschle should hammer Moore, but then again this is also a lesson in how much Daschle has to cow-tow to the left-wing base of his Party, so he can't be critical of Moore. Finally, I've been chiding Dave Kranz all week for not reporting on the hug/apology as reported in Time and the Wall Street Journal. If it turns out that Moore lied, then my apologies to Dave Kranz.
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