ScrappleFace: Bush May Have Paid Michael Moore to Oppose Him

Bush May Have Paid Michael Moore to Oppose Him
by Scott Ott

(2005-01-08) -- Even as Tribune Media Services announced it had dropped columnist Armstrong Williams after he admitted receiving $241,000 from the Department of Education to promote 'No Child Left Behind', new allegations surfaced today that the Bush administration may have paid Michael Moore to oppose the president's reelection.

Mr. Moore and the White House both deny the charges, but critics point to the "almost scary" relationship between Mr. Bush's electoral success and the vigorous efforts of the Oscar-winning filmmaker to tarnish the president's image.

"The more he attacked Bush, the more Americans loved the president," said an unnamed spokesman for the American Society of Correspondents, Editors and Writers. "You don't have to be Oliver Stone to see the outlines of a conspiracy there. Michael Moore practically handed Bush his second term on a silver platter."

"The outcry from professional journalists over these pay-for-commentary scandals is not surprising," the source added. "They violated the journalistic code of honor. It's appalling to think that these men received compensation for weaving their biases into their work. Meanwhile, thousands of hard-working journalists do the same thing every day at no extra charge."