I never voted for him. But in retrospect, if I had to chose between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush today it would be like choosing for dinner between a nice piece of medium-rare prime rib and a big hot steaming plate of poo. But maybe that's just me.

Nonetheless, while the Clinton detractors have come out from under their rocks as the ex-Prez barnstorms the country on his book tour, Ron Brownstein took a look in today's LA Times at a few of the items that Bubba's detractors seem to be conveniently over-looking.

As Brownstein says, in a piece that doesn't give Clinton a completely free ride, the critics who would dismiss so many of his accomplishments as "'trivial' says more about the critics than about Clinton."

The most notable of accomplishments, obviously, were on the economy. Read the full article for his thoughts on Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics, etc. But here's some of Clinton's notable numbers (all according to Census Bureau figures):

That's just a few of things that a Democrat in the White House has recently given to America. Ponder it.

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 has become, in just three short days of nationwide release, the #1 Documentary film of all time, grossing $24 Million at this weekend's box office.

It has outpaced the lifetime totals all of Moore's previous docs (Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, etc.) in that time, as well as trouncing the #2 film of the weekend (White Chicks) by some $4.5 million, despite the latter being shown on a full 2,726 screens, while Moore's film was available on only 868 nationwide.

F9/11 in that same short time, has also, incidentally, become the most lied about film in Internet and Talk Radio history! As everyone from Slate's Christopher Hitchens, to O'Reilly (who only saw the first part of the film), to Rush (who hasn't seen it all) to the rest of the local Talkers out here in Los Angeles (ditto) have attempted in their panic --- and without success --- to describe "lies" in the film and/or discredit the filmmaker as fat, or a bad man, or a traitor, or any number of desperate rallying cries.

I've given you links above to a number of those breathless lies, distortions and misrepresentation. But let's take a look at just one. Here's just a snippet from Rush dissembling today:

Unfortunately, that paragraph --- despite going out to what Rush describes as "more people in a 15 minute period than saw the Michael Moore movie over the weekend" --- contains virtually nothing that one could call "truthful".

Moore does not claim that the flights described occurred when "all the airports were closed after 9/11", so that's just an out and out lie on Rush's part (or perhaps just an accident since he didn't actually see the film he was speaking of?). As well, surely Rush knows that even if Clarke signed the approval for those planes to leave, he was at the time, WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION! The part about being "held up as a hero" in the movie is just an exaggeration in that yes, Clarke appears briefly in the movie as he gives some testimony to the 9/11 Commission, but the "hero" part is pure fabricated Rush Spin.

Rush is also telling his (apparently?) gullible listeners today...:

Really, Rush? Who's saying that? Because I haven't heard a one. I have heard it says it's the biggest movie of the weekend. I have heard it said it's the biggest documentary film of all time. Both of which are undisputable. But I've yet to hear anyone say that "It's the biggest movie ever". I welcome all Ditto Heads to show me such an instance. From anybody. Liar.

Spin on, Ditto Heads! Rock On, Lefties and Other Intellectually Honest Patriots who put their Country above partisan politics! November is just a few short months away! And perhaps then we can look forward to the beginning of the end of our long national nightmare!

(P.S. I've written a full review of Fahrenheit 9/11 but have not yet published it here for a number of reasons...Hopefully to be explained...and posted in full here shortly.)

Judge for yourself. Click on the link to take a look at the uncut video of Bush's 5+ minutes in the Florida schoolroom after being informed that a second commercial airplane had hit the second World Trade Tower.

In Moore's film, it's troubling and interesting and sad.

When viewed straight through however, without any commentary, while you know the clock is ticking, it's actually a bit terrifying. Judge for yourself.

After outgrossing the lifetime take for Roger & Me on just it's first day of nationwide release, Fahrenheit 9/11 is on track to not only outgross Bowling for Columbine's lifetime numbers, but also become the #1 Documentary film of all time after only it's first weekend of release.

Dubya won't learn the news until November 3rd (since he doesn't read the papers), Dick "Fucking" Cheney is likely in his undisclosed secure bunker cursing out Lynne, and Rush Limbaugh, no doubt, is today spinning in his oxycontin soaked third divorce settlement. Sean Hannity is waiting to hear what Rush will have to say about it in the morning. And Alan Colmes is waiting to hear what Sean Hannity will have to say about it shortly thereafter.

There will be many words in the upcoming weeks about how these numbers are fake or distorted or signifying nothing. That, along with other desperate attempts to "debunk" Moore and/or the film, all without substance or accuracy (neither of which being necessary when the Right wishes to "debunk" something).

And rest of us will be counting the days until November 2nd. It shouldn't be long now...Keep up the good work! God Bless America!

"We must change the tone of Washington, D.C."
- George W. Bush, campaign speech at RNC Gala, 4/26/00

"Governor Bush and I are also absolutely determined that [we] will restore a tone of civility and decency to the debate in Washington."
- Dick Cheney, at campaign rally in Philadelphia, 8/4/00

"Go fuck yourself."
- V.P. Dick Cheney to Sen. Patrick Leahy on the floor of the U.S. Senate, 6/24/04

"It appears the vice president's previous calls for civility are now inoperative."
- Leahy spokesman, David Carle to The Washington Post, 6/26/04

"If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us. If we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us."
-George W. Bush, Presidential Debate at Wake Forest University Oct 11, 2000

(Graphic courtesy of The Mahablog)

Some of you Bush Dead-Enders may remember that phrase, "The Rule of Law", as little more than a cloying reminder of days gone by. Some of you, perhaps, have even convinced yourself you never cared about it at all. I can certainly understand why --- at this point --- you might like to do that.

Here's an unfortunate reminder for you in neat summary form. And here's just one piece of it for those of you too frightened to look:

Fahrenheit 9/11 has earned more after one day in national release than Moore's first doc, Roger & Me earned in it's lifetime.

As of today, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, F9/11 has brought in, $8,358,000 versus a lifetime total of $6,706,368 for Roger & Me.

It was the #1 movie in America on Friday, out-grossing it's nearest competitor (White Chicks) despite being available on less than one-third the number of screens.

Be very afraid, Bushies.

Unlike the bulk of the panicked knee-jerk Rightwing critics, I actually saw it.

And...wow...It's a remarkable film. Fox News was right! (in general).

And that from a guy who thought I knew everything that I would see. I was wrong.

As are the yutz' nattering on (and on) and blowing wind about the Saudi Flights and the Afghanistan Pipelines and anything else they are trying to come up with to try and discredit what they are so - justifiably - terrified of. For good reason. They are entirely missing the point. They might find that out if they bothered to see the film first.

More details tomorrow (later today, I guess)...

Disclaimer: I haven't seen Fahrenheit 9/11 yet, but we did find a theater about 45 minutes from here with tickets available tonight. It wasn't easy. So we're going shortly. Thus, I have no idea if there are any "lies" in Michael Moore's film yet, unlike the many who haven't seen it and have announced it full of lies. Without actually giving us any.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, however, apparently has seen the film. And tonight, he's heading into the second half-hour on his show featuring a topic he calls "Moore Lies?".

Perhaps he's holding the lead for the end of the show, because in the thirty minutes I've watched so far, he's not given a single "lie" from Moore's film.

His "Moore Lies?" topic began with a 7 minute package from Lisa Myers which promised to outline all those "lies". And 7 minutes later, I was still waiting for a single one. She gave us precisely 0 lies. She did, however, show an interview with a "Republican Strategist" who disagreed with Moore's analysis of several undisputed facts that are, apparently, shown in the film.

After the package ended, Scarborough picked up with his own lies by talking about the "countless lies" in the movie. Pointing over and over again to the Myers report as if it exposed any.

Scarborough, obviously, is not the only one apparently so disturbed and frightened by this movie that he's happy to call it "full of lies" without actually detailing any.

You'll find such as-yet-wholly-unqualified claims anywhere that a Fake Conservative is opining and blustering. For instance, this shameful internet blog, (which calls itself "The Blog of Truth" without apparently not much more than a whiff of intended irony) has been calling the film "Debunked Before Release" for the past two weeks. Never mind that the Blogmaster there hasn't seen the film, and never mind that he's not given a single piece of evidence to "debunk" it. Yet, like so many Bush Dead-Enders, he'll say and do anything to discredit it. Evidence be damned.

The most puzzling of the non-debunking, non-lies that the Rightwingnutz keep going back to is the matter of the flights containing members of the Bin Laden family and other Saudi Royals (140 in all) that, Moore reportedly claims, were arranged for, and allowed by the Bush Administration in the days following 9/11.

Apparently, Richard Clarke, the former Bush Terrorism Czar turned Bush Administration critic has recently taken credit for having authorized these flights and stands behind the decision to do so. Okay. Fair enough.

Whether he was talking about the same flights Moore was talking about is yet to be determined. Whether they are the same ones recently acknowledged to have occurred by the Tampa Bay International Airport is also unclear.

But what's so puzzling is that somehow, in the seemingly deluded and addled brains of these Bush Apologists, the alleged fact that Clarke was the one who signed off on these flights somehow either pardons George W. Bush for it, or succeeds in showing Moore to be a "liar".

Am I missing something here?

Didn't Richard Clarke work for the Bush Administration? Does it matter if he is the one that approved these flights for the Bush Administration? Doesn't the buck stop with the "President"? Does it somehow make it less true that these flights, which the Administration has denied for months, actually occurred? Is this all these guys have got on Michael Moore?

Surely they can do better. Or maybe not. Only time will tell. But so far the only proven liars seem to be the Bush Administration and those who would shamelessly defend them by calling Moore a liar without actually giving a shred of proof to back that up.

As Joe Scarborough well knows, and as one of his "Democratic Strategists" said before her mic was turned off by Scarborough, "Editing is the highest form of commentary". I have no doubt that Moore, as he even acknowledged last night on The Daily Show, has presented the facts in a way that best proves the case he is trying to make. He admits to "not being fair". Scarborough knows that, as does Rush and Sean, and the NY Times, everyone working at MSNBC and yes - even the Bush Whitehouse from Karl Rove on down to the President of the United States.

Well, Joe...here's the Real Deal: When you ask a guest how they "can say this film is not full of lies" and tell them that "Lisa Myers says there's all these lies in the movie" you must realize that some of us watching don't fall for the old Limbaugh Trick which you guys have so well mastered. The real question is how can you keep suggesting Moore is a liar without actually giving a single lie? It sounds to me like you're pissed that Michael Moore is using that trick --- though unlike Limbaugh, he actually uses facts and reporting --- and it's now turning against you.

That sucks, doesn't it? No wonder when your other guest, "Republican Strategist" Jack Berkman started calling for a boycott on your show, you couldn't shut him up quickly enough.

You've learned the power of the media, even if it wasn't until you were hoisted on your own petard. And now you may even finally be understanding how your attempts to shut folks like Moore up, do nothing but give him a louder voice. Perhaps Fox News has already learned that. They, shocking the world, gave the film a glowing review! Go figure.

I'll let you know what I think of the film...after I actually see it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is asking for input on the issue of "Same-Sex Marriage".

Call the Governator's Hotline at (916) 445-2841, then hit -5- for "Hot Issues", -1- to choose "Same-Sex Marriage", and then --- hopefully --- -1- to express SUPPORT for equal civil rights in America!

A little something I missed last week on Fahrenheit 9/11 from Fox News'(!) Roger Friedman (no relation):

Nope. I haven't seen it yet. Today's effort to do so was cut short as every showing at every theater within driving distance is completely SOLD OUT.