The New Republic runs correction on Hug Gate

Next week's edition of The New Republic carries the following "correction" on Hug Gate under the headline "Consider the Source":

In an article about the influence of Michael Moore on the Democratic Party ("Crashing the Party," July 19), Jason Zengerle noted that the filmmaker had recently boasted to Time about his warm post-movie reception from Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, despite Moore's merciless lampooning of the senator in Fahrenheit 9/11. After attending a screening of the film, Moore told Time, Daschle "gave me a hug and said he felt bad and that we were all gonna fight [Bush] from now on. I thanked him for being a good sport."

But it turns out Moore and Daschle aren't so close--or at least not close enough to have hugged. "I know we senators all tend to look alike," Daschle told reporters. "But I arrived late to the film and had to leave early for Senate votes. I didn't meet Mr. Moore." Maybe this episode will shake the faith of Daschle and his fellow Democrats in Moore's other stories.