Michael Moore has made, in Fahrenheit 9/11 (the temperature at which truth burns), an hilarious and yet at times, moving, documentary.
The hilarious part (and one of the best things about the film) is the fantastic archive footage of President George W. Bush (the second, all hail!). We see him in his younger days bragging about how lobbyists like giving him money because he has unfettered and direct access to the president, his daddy; we see him in his current incarnation as Commander in Chief, making a solemn pronouncement calling on all nations to defeat the scourge of terrorism and then in the same breath, asking reporters to admire his golfing prowess.
Moore goes in to the background of Bush's failed businesses before he became one of the most unpopular and divisive presidents in U.S. history, businesses that include Arbusto (emphasise the "bust") and Harken Energy; Moore also explores the exceptionally close relationship between the theocratic and repressive and thoroughly anti-democratic royal family of Saudia Arabia and the Bush family via their connections through the Carlyle investment group, a relationship that may well have had a significant importance to the events of 11th September, 2001; a lot of this seems to be drawn from Craig Unger's expose, House of Bush, House of Saud (Unger is interviewed on the film).
The moving parts of the documentary are those seen from inside Iraq before, during and after the American invasion, the human costs of the war, the impact it has had on real people's lives, both Iraqi civillian and the working poor of the U.S. army - working poor because the chicken-hawk politicians who voted for the war wouldn't send their kids off to fight it.
Many will try and smear this film as being one-sided but this film simply brings to light facts that many people would prefer not to be confronted with, maintaining comforting illusions about 'democracy buidling in the Middle East' et cetera. This film could be described as being, "Chomsky for Children" and that is high praise indeed.
Nice use of Clapton, too!