Salon/Conason: Triumph of the W.

[kskiska]

Trying to counter the success of Michael Moore, Karl Rove's men in Hollywood are rushing to release a pro-Bush epic, "The Big Picture." But are they violating federal campaign law?

The next salvo in the cinematic campaign war of 2004 is "The Big Picture," a documentary film attacking John Kerry sponsored by David Bossie's Citizens United, the right-wing group that unsuccessfully sued to stop national advertising of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." But Bossie's latest project could create legal problems for him and his organization -- in part because Lionel Chetwynd, the award-winning director, is working not only on the documentary but also on two shorter films to be screened at the Republican National Convention.

The director's simultaneous involvement in both the convention films and the Bossie documentary raises eyebrows among campaign finance experts, because Citizens United is a tax-exempt foundation legally restricted from "coordinating" its "independent" political broadcasts or messages with the Bush-Cheney campaign or the Republican National Committee. If Chetwynd, Bossie, or anyone else working on "The Big Picture" discussed that project with RNC officials or the Bush-Cheney reelection committee, they could be violating the law.

(snip)

An outline of the "The Big Picture" obtained by Salon suggests that the Citizens United documentary will offer not only a staunch defense of Bush but also an aggressive attack on Kerry, including a recitation of various smears having to do with his medal-winning military history put forward lately by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The outline portrays the Democratic nominee as the preferred candidate of such "foreign leaders" as Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong Il and the Nicaraguan Sandinista Party, and as an "appeaser" of European powers deemed corrupt and hostile to U.S. interests -- especially France. Virtually all the world's other nations are solidly behind Bush and the war in Iraq, according to the outline, which labors to disprove allegations that Bush "lied" about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaida.

(snip)

But the Bossie film will be released within the 120-day pre-election period when such "independent" electioneering communications are prohibited, unless they fall under an exception carved out for commercial media endeavors. Unless "The Big Picture" is billed as a commercial movie intended to earn a profit, it could fall within the category of prohibited electioneering activity. And advertising for the pro-Bush documentary could pose the same questions raised by Citizens United about the promotion of Moore's film.

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/08/20/chetwynd_bossie/index.html

[Dudley_DUright]

1. Leni Riefenstahl would be so proud

I love the poster ad for the movie. Notice how John Kerry is placed right next to OBL and Saddam. Subtle these clowns are not. Finally, "Worlds greatest cowboy"??? I had no idea this "film" was going to be a comedy!

[Fovea]

2. Will the world's greatest cowboy

please sign up for the Professional Bull Riding event.
Considering how well he does in the Bull Shitting event, he's a natural!

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. Bush doesn't have the balls to be a real cowboy

.... much less the "World's Greatest". WTF is that supposed to mean anyway? I hope they are able to go forward with this full force, because they will expose themselves as the idiots they are.

[tom_paine]

4. I thought it was a joke, but the link pans out

These people are nuts!

To equate this with F911 is ludicrous in the extreme.

And they are in fact, at least in this case, as subtle as the Nazis who's playbooks they use with regularity.

Nevermoreso than here.

[Raster]

8. I grew up in a farming and ranching family in southern Arizona...

...and I resent the fuck out of gee-dubya trying to adopt the mantle of "World's Greatest Cowboy." Molly Ivins said it the best: "All hat, no cattle."

[thebigidea]

5. considering that this clown's last masterpiece was DC 9/11:Time of Crisis

... I'd say Moore hasn't got much to worry about.



I had tons of laughs with that last flick and forced it down the throats of inebriated friends. More laughter ensued.

Bring it on, Lionel!

[DinahMoeHum]

6. Wanna read a scathing review on THAT piece of junk?

From none other than one of the 9/11 widows (aka "The Jersey Girls")

Link: (need day pass if not a subscriber)
http://archive.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2003/09/08/dc911/

(snip)
It is understandable that so little time is actually devoted to the president's true actions on the morning of 9/11. Because to show the entire 23 minutes from 9:03 to 9:25 a.m., when President Bush, in reality, remained seated and listening to "second grade story-hour" while people like my husband were burning alive inside the World Trade Center towers, would run counter to Karl Rove's art direction and grand vision.

Remember the aircraft-carrier photo op? Bush is a man of action; in fact, he is an action hero. Except, of course, when it really counts, like in those early morning hours when this country was under attack and our commander in chief was drinking milk and eating cookies with second graders. Can you imagine one of those second-graders years from now when they are asked where they were on the morning of 9/11? They will simply say, "I was sitting with the president reading him a story."
(snip)

much more...



:nuke:

[CanIgonow]

7. Not only does he have a habit of being AWOL when it matters,

he has a habit of being present and actively participating when people are being ripped off as in Harken, Arbusto etc.He never met a devious scheme he didn't like.