A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

It's true that I wish Michael Moore were a wee bit more scrupulous with the facts in his films, but I sometimes wonder if he doesn't insert random distortions into his movies deliberately. With rare exceptions, after all, they're small things that could just as easily have been presented correctly without damaging his narrative at all. But the end result is the kind of publicity money can't buy, and it's the sweetest kind of publicity of all: the kind that's subsidized by his enemies, who helpfully boost ticket sales by furiously denouncing his films for weeks on end.

Got it? It's not that Moore is being disingenuous. It's just that he is being a diabolically brilliant salesman! What . . . what genius!

But fear not. Kevin Drum assures us that in SiCKO, Moore is being scrupulous with the facts. And you can take Kevin Drum's word for it. Because even though, in the past, Moore was disingenuous in order to get publicity, this time, he is being entirely honest and straightforward. Kevin Drum assures us of that, after all.

Of course, when Republicans or conservatives are disingenuous with the facts, they are not being brilliant salespeople, capable of "getting [their] mortal enemies to do all [their] publicity for [them]." Because we all know Republicans and conservatives aren't that smart.

This heads-we-win-tails-you-lose rationalization has been brought to you by the Reality-Based Community. In the meantime, read Michael Tanner, who in Kevin Drum's world, is a dupe. Oh, and I guess this is just some more of that calculated disingenuous behavior designed to attract some free publicity. But don't worry. We can still trust what Michael Moore has to say about health care.

Right?