Moore is Right

Michael Moore won the Palm D'Or, the highest prize, at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday, for Fahrenheit 9/11. Congratulations to him, and to my friends Elizabeth and Kurt Engfur, who worked closely with him on the film.

It should be noted before the inevitable hate mail arrives (tonight on Fox - When Freepers Attack!) that 1) the jury of the Cannes Film Festival are not French -- they are mostly American but international in nature, and 2) Jury Chair Quentin Tarantino said very explicitly (get it?) that the prize was not given to Moore because of the politics of his film, but because he made a great film that advanced the documentary art.

This is the first time a documentary has won the Palm D'Or since 1956 (Costeau's The Silent World, if you must know).

Anyway, the title of this post refers to a comment Moore made in an article about the win - we do, as a nation, owe France a huge apology for the way they were debased in our media. Freedom Fries indeed - that will be a point of ridicule for generations to come.

Of course, we won't get one from this administration - they can barely muster up a feeble "oops" over the torture of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners that break every decency law, war treaty and Geneva Convention known to man - but perhaps President Kerry will offer one at his inauguration next January.

(Yes, I do say that just to frighten conservatives. As Bugs Bunny used to say, "Ain't I a stinker?")