DVT joins the ranks of the doubtful

DVT has a post regarding "Hug Gate" (Michael Moore's claim that he hugged Tom Daschle after the premiere of "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Daschle's categorical denial of it) headlined "Hug Gate: Daschle's Alibi Implausible." DVT persuasively notes, among other things, that The New Republic reported Daschle was among those giving a standing ovation at the end of the movie. TNR is unlikely to report such an important fact inaccurately. To underscore that notion, TNR's Jason Zengerle has assured me that his editors are looking into the accuracy of Michael Moore's claim, after Zengerle wrote a piece for this week's edition citing it:

Moore's parallel presidential campaign poses a dilemma for Democrats. The Kerry campaign--mindful of the heat Wesley Clark took in the Democratic primaries when Moore, appearing on stage with Clark at a rally, accused President Bush of being a "deserter"--is keeping its distance. While it obviously appreciates the scrutiny Moore and his film are bringing to bear on the Bush administration, a campaign spokesperson was quick to announce that the Massachusetts senator hasn't seen Fahrenheit 9/11 and doesn't plan to. "The campaign will keep an arm's length from the film," says a Kerry adviser. "There's no upside to embracing a filmmaker who is likely to pop off at any moment with statements as inflammatory as they are impolitic."

Other Democrats, however, aren't so chary of Moore or his effort. In late June, Moore had a VIP screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 at Washington, D.C.'s Uptown Theater. In attendance were a host of prominent Democrats--including Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Florida Senator Bob Graham, California Senator Barbara Boxer, and numerous members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Even some of Fahrenheit 9/11's favorite targets, such as Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle--who Moore mercilessly lampoons in the movie for being insufficiently opposed to Bush and the war in Iraq--dutifully showed up. (After the screening, Moore told Time, Daschle "gave me a hug and said he felt bad and that we were all gonna fight from now on. I thanked him for being a good sport.")

Although the applause at the Washington, D.C., event was more muted than at the New York and Los Angeles VIP screenings, where liberal celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Rob Reiner gave it raucous receptions, the presence of so many Democrats--especially those Senate Democrats, who delayed a vote on a defense bill so they could attend--spoke louder than any standing ovation.

(Emphases added.) That's it at the end of the day, isn't it? Daschle's mere presence at the premiere speaks volumes about how out of touch he is with the red state values of South Dakota.