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I interviewed Michael Moore for a few minutes in between his media stops about his new movie called Capitalism, A Love Story which I reviewed here. As we discussed his film, the topic of conservatism, hate speech and FOX News came up and I asked him if he would consider going back on FOX News again. His responses were interesting and I think FOX News will go scrambling to book him after they hear what Michael had to say. I also think Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck will not be happy campers.

Amato: Would you ever go back on FOX again?

Moore: Yes,I would go back on FOX again. I would not go on Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck because they use far too much hate speech and calls for violence and I cannot participate with anyone that goes down that road.

I stayed off because somebody at the studio told me that whenever I go on their ratings go up and I'm not interested in helping them sell products and make money for themselves and having said that I'm ready to tee up (garbled audio, but I think he said Hannity) Hannity I think pretty soon.

Amato: That would get huge ratings and it's also really enjoyable to see you kick them around because you know the type of Democrat that go on most of the time that are just so weak and that's the way they like them so that they can serve them up and kick them around.

Moore: Then I will make a point during this tour to try and go on one of their shows and give them something-something...

Amato: Do it for the blogosphere! (laughs)

Moore: Do it for the blogosphere. This one's for you!

The attacks on President Obama by FOX News programs have been profoundly upsetting and as much as I object at times to lefties that go on FOX, I have to say that it would be very enjoyable to see Michael smack down Roger Ailes crew. Do you think Michael will go on Hannity since he won't do they Beck or O'Reilly? Sheppard Smith might be a good choice. And you can be sure that O'Reilly will whine about this. The reason I asked the question is because I've seen Moore duke it out with Bill O'Reilly before and they were very good segments to watch.

John Amato: This is John Amato from Crooks and Liars and I am joined by the great movie maker Michael Moore and he has a new movie out "Capitalism: A Love Story." Hey Michael, thanks for joining me.

Michael Moore: Thanks for having me here.

John Amato: I just want to say one thing here before we get going. How about those Lions?

Michael Moore: [laughing] It's been two years, and if they had to beat somebody it might as well have been the Washington Redskins. But I feel sorry for the Redskins as it’s going to be a trivia answer for the next few decades.

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One of the things I've learned from my many years in journalism (and yes, even my short stint as a political staffer) is that when legislation is first proposed, people throw a bunch of crap on the wall and duke it out over the details. You know why they say it's like watching sausage being made? Because it's stomach-churning.

Several bloggers linked to this. They're taking the article in good faith and assume it's accurate in its conclusions (that the public option has been gutted and the idea of "reform" amounts to a bait and switch), and I just don't believe that.

The author doesn't even seem to understand how legislation is made. It's kind of like judging the way a finished room will look by painting a stripe on the wall: It's not the whole picture.

The bills are usually weakened at this point in the process - but they're fixed later in committee. One of the reasons it still works like this is so politicians can say, "I voted against that!" if part of a bill becomes controversial in his or her district. (Remember the thing with Kerry, where he said, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I was against it"? He's right. All politicians do it.) Some of the same politicians who are screaming on the teevee against this will be a lot more reasonable once the cameras aren't running. The final committee work is what counts.

So really, the sky isn't falling. I would tell you if I thought it was. I mean, I'm not exactly known as Obama's biggest booster, am I?

I'd rather ward off the attacks from the insurance companies and the Blue Dogs instead. It's no secret that I think single payer is the best solution - but I'm not going to try to poison this compromise bill to prove a point.

The next best thing to single payer is structural change that really makes people understand and support the concept that health care can and should be accessible to everyone. This bill will do that, and we can improve from there.

I'm actually shocked to find the more I look at the long-term strategy here, the more I like it. The fact is, it will be a lot more politically difficult for members of Congress to vote against those future incremental improvements than to vote against the entire plan now. Once it's in place, and constituents start calling their elected officials with complaints about flaws in the bill, they're going to have to fix those problems - or at the very least, not get in the way of the solution.

Remember: Social Security only covered about half of the people when it first passed. It took almost 10 years to get there, but you couldn't take it away now. The voters would be furious.

We won't get there overnight, but this bill will at least be a decent start.

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ABC:

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said today he will undergo surgery this morning at Duke University Medical Center in Durham N.C., as part of his treatment for a cancerous brain tumor.

Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, an often lethal type of brain tumor.[..]

After consulting with his doctors and his wife, Vicki, Kennedy "decided the best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation," he said.[..]

When his treatment ends, Kennedy said, "I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack Obama as our next president."

UPDATE: NY Times:

"I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy's surgery was successful and accomplished our goals," Dr. Allan Friedman, chief of the division of neurosurgery in the surgical department at Duke in Durham, N.C., said in a statement about 2 p.m.

Dr. Friedman said after the procedure that Mr. Kennedy should "experience no permanent neurological affects from the surgery."

Another end of year list. Favorite music is such a subjective thing that I'm at a lost as to how you could narrow it down. I have to thank Howie Klein for giving me the two most popular CDs in my house right now (Ray Sings, Basie Swings and John Coltrane: Fearless Leader). His gift has created jazz fans of my children, who are now discovering Sarah Vaughan, Tierney Sutton, Duke Ellington and Rosemary Clooney ). After years of Barney and Raffi CDs, that's the greatest gift of all.

Salon.com: My Favorite Things (includes exclusive downloads of music)

RollingStone: 100 Best Songs of the Year; 50 Best Albums of the Year

BBC: Sound of 2006: Top 10 Revisited

Metacritic: Top 10 Roundup

via ABC:

The investigation of how the Republican leadership handled the issue has provoked turmoil and finger-pointing in Hastert's office, congressional sources say. Some of Hastert's principal aides have hired criminal defense lawyers to represent them during the investigation. Ted Van Der Meid, Hastert's chief in-house counsel, has retained Washington, D.C.-based attorney Lee Blalack, who also represents convicted former Congressman Duke Cunningham.

Denny is playing the " I can't remember" card. Maybe he should take a few of Pat Roberts memory pills. Whaddya think?

Still, they try to attack Nancy Pelosi.

Mike's Blog Round Up

A Liberal Dose: U.S. asks Turkey to host Iran attack...

Harpers.org: A firm allegedly used by defense contractor Brent Wilkes to provide prostitutes to ex-Rep. Duke Cunningham, is headed by a man who has a long criminal rap sheet and is also a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Additionally, well-known government-watchdog group, Common Cause, has asked the Justice Department to investigate U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' how fake, how inane is our modern celebrity press of corps?

Bob Somerby gags over WaPo scribe Peter Beinart's fawning review of Joe Klein’s peculiar new book.

Following up on Hugh Hewitt's claim that right wing talk radio is : "But, in fact, talk radio is quite responsible, while Wolf Blitzer sat idly by. Check out what Rush Limbaugh called an alleged Duke rape victim.

The Galloping Beaver: The New Spy vs Spy

Recovering Liberal: Meet Kinky Friedman, Texas's next Governor

This American Life: Is Gitmo a camp full of terrorists, or a camp full of our mistakes? Reporter Jack Hitt unveils everything we know about who these prisoners are. I listened to this show last Saturday and highly recommend that you either purchase a CD of it now or wait until next week when the archive version goes up at their site.

War and Piece: Duke Cunningham's Iranians. Something funky goin' on here...

Everything Between: Obama does some 'Big Time' trash talkin' at Gridiron Club Roast

the Hue and Cry: Survival of the richest...Everything Between: Obama does some 'Big Time' trash talkin' at Gridiron Club Roast

the Hue and Cry: Survival of the richest...

Duke is out! Go UCLA...

Daily Delay:

"Mitchell Wade of MZM -- the guy who bribed Duke Cunningham -- apparently made illegal campaign donations to two other members of Congress..."

Roll Call:

"Wade also steered $78,000 in illegal contributions to the re-election campaigns of Reps. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) and Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 election cycles. Neither lawmaker was aware that Wade was reimbursing other donors for making those contributions, according to the criminal information document."

Support Francine Busby for the vacated seat.