Filmmaker Michael Moore's newest book has enough entertainment value to have its own movie-style trailer, complete with a suspenseful voice-over:
"In a world where fears of terrorism paralyze America and Republicans swarm like vultures, only one man can save America from swirling down the toilet. Michael Moore is armed only with his own body odor and has a plan to change the world - one Republican-in-Name-Only at a time."
That plan makes up Dude, Where's My Country?, Moore's follow-up to the best-seller Stupid White Men.
Moore's goal: Get rid of George W. Bush.
Moore is infamous for doing his best to illustrate the consequences of General Motors' massive layoffs in the film Roger & Me, creating "TV Nation," making other films and writing books.
Continuing Moore's trend of using the populist issue du jour to reach a broad audience, Dude sardonically attacks the war in Iraq. The book is at once a humorous criticism of conservative politics after Sept. 11, 2001 and a textbook for left-wing political participation.
You might think Moore is a "tool," in slang terms - or maybe even the whole Home Depot. However, Dude contains great humor, if nothing else. The fun begins on the cover.
Bush's smiling, simian head has been superimposed on Saddam Hussein's famous falling statue. A banner that reads, "Leave no billionaire behind," stretches across the White House, and Moore pulls the chain that drags down the statue, leading the revolution of the liberals and the end of Bush's reign.
Keep dreaming, Mikey.
The opening page warns readers that the book has been "approved" by the Department of Homeland Security. As per the Patriot Act, all people who have purchased the book have been entered onto a list that introduces the possibility of either getting into serious trouble or winning a Formica kitchen set from Kitchen Magic.
Enter the first chapter, and you get to read the seven questions Moore wants to ask "George of Arabia." These questions inquire about the possibility of secret relationships between Bush and the Saudi Arabian royal family and the family of Osama bin Laden. The satire gets better from there.
Moore presents 10 of Bush's "Whoppers" - presidential statements that Moore believes are lies - in one creative chapter. Such Whoppers, whether double, with cheese, without pickles or with mayonnaise, include linking Hussein with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Whopper with American cheese and Freedom Fries is blaming the war on the French.
Bush takes further hits when Moore plays the medium channeling the agenda of an extremely liberal God in the chapter, "Jesus W. Christ." Moore's God is pro-choice, anti-creationism and anti-flag-waving patriotism. Furthermore, God reveals that there aren't 72 virgins waiting in heaven, and that he is tired of hearing all of that "God Bless America" mumbo-jumbo. Moore makes his points at all costs.
Although he goes overboard at times, his words occasionally are perfect. In my favorite chapter, he includes methods of convincing "your conservative brother-in-law" of liberal ideas' worth. Moore suggests appealing to conservatives' self-centered nature by suggesting that spending money on social programs is a way to make money.
Another technique, admitting left-wingers' mistakes to butter up conservatives, forces liberals to produce an interesting collection of confessions about liberalism's dark side. Moore makes excellent points about the good and bad of liberal politics, while cuttingly demonstrating that Democrats are too wishy-washy to counter Republicans' solid-rock, tradition-anchored appeal.
However, Moore intends to light a fire under liberals' Dockers. He asks readers to visit his Web site so they can decide how to spend his tax rebate (www.spendmikestaxcut.com). Bush's taxation policies have given all of the rich people in America - including Moore - a significant amount of money. Moore wants people to help him use Bush's "generous" gift to remove Bush from the White House.
It's obvious that Moore hopes to convert the masses - or at least some of the masses - into liberal foot soldiers. But ever the compromiser, he'll settle for inspiring a more rabid Democratic leadership with an Ann Coulter of its very own, or even changing a few attitudes. He'll even settle for making you laugh.
Dude is right on par with Moore's other work - no better and no worse. But if you've never paid attention to Moore's complaints about society, this book is his most relevant yet. It has enough mass appeal to become "My First Liberal Manifesto."
Less appealing is Moore's "Chicken Little" tone. The political sky has already fallen and may descend again, but a certain somebody's constant clucking makes me want to put him in nugget form.
You'll enjoy the book if you either agree with Moore, or are willing to take his book with one of those giant grains of salt you can pluck off a pretzel. The laughs are worth it.
Nicole Saidi is the content editor of the Web Devil. Reach her at nicole.saidi@asu.edu.
