MICHAEL MOORE has lost it, writes former Moore fan Michael Mallon in The Vancouver Sun:

You are invited far too frequently, in Moore’s recent books and films and TV shows, to cheer the man on. Once again, good marketing — a working-class hero is something to be — but often, queasy viewing or reading. In all his work, the blue-collar act often shades over into dangerous anti-intellectual class warfare, especially repugnant coming from someone who lives in a $1.27-million US apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and sends his kid to private school. . . .

Isn’t that what the other side is supposed to be doing? Generalizing, simplifying, pretending to be jes’ one of the common folks? You might argue that when you fight with wolves like General Motors and the Republican Party you must use all tools at your disposal. After all, by any means necessary, said Malcolm X, and the left needs as many strong, charismatic voices as it can get in these days of Bush and Campbell and Le Pen. But Moore’s failings undermine his credibility, and end up undermining the credibility of all voices of protest.

Gee, undermining the credibility of all voices of protest? I thought that was Chomsky’s job. I guess the CIA’s disinformation budget must have gone up, if Moore can afford that apartment. . . .