Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Cheap shots
In his current USA Today column Walter Shapiro chides Roger Moore for his hamhanded style and "cheap shots" in Moore's new documentary, Fahrenheit 911:
Well, Bejus, what did Mr. Shapiro expect from Michael MOORE? He HATES Bush. We all KNOW that. He's about as fair and balanced as Fox News.
But the bit about the fine French linens IS a cheap shot, even I admit. Who cares what kind of sheets Mr. Bush sleeps on? What does that have to do with his performance in office? How does this focus on trivialities advance the national discourse? It's a good thing we have respected journalistic treasures like the The New York Times to focus on the things that really count, such as John Kerry's "plummy" accent and his "patrician" manner and Mrs. Kerry's alleged Botox injections and her foreign accent and so on. The incomparable Daily Howler incomparably dissects the NYT's fatuous coverage here, here, and here (for starters).
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In his current USA Today column Walter Shapiro chides Roger Moore for his hamhanded style and "cheap shots" in Moore's new documentary, Fahrenheit 911:
A single sentence captures the filmmaker's cheap-shot style. Describing George W. Bush's trip to Florida on Sept. 10, 2001, Moore gleefully declares in his voice-over, "He went to bed that night in a bed made with fine French linens." The way Moore presents this tiny detail conveys the impression that stalwart Democratic presidents such as Bill Clinton slept only on the cheapest sheets available from Wal-Mart. Maybe Moore and his fans can call this hitherto unreported Bush scandal "Linen-closet-gate."
Well, Bejus, what did Mr. Shapiro expect from Michael MOORE? He HATES Bush. We all KNOW that. He's about as fair and balanced as Fox News.
But the bit about the fine French linens IS a cheap shot, even I admit. Who cares what kind of sheets Mr. Bush sleeps on? What does that have to do with his performance in office? How does this focus on trivialities advance the national discourse? It's a good thing we have respected journalistic treasures like the The New York Times to focus on the things that really count, such as John Kerry's "plummy" accent and his "patrician" manner and Mrs. Kerry's alleged Botox injections and her foreign accent and so on. The incomparable Daily Howler incomparably dissects the NYT's fatuous coverage here, here, and here (for starters).
