Betsy DeVos Time Again

From the June 28 Betsy's Blog:

Mockumentary maker Michael Moore said last week on CNN that "being a proud American" means believing that Osama bin Laden "is innocent until proven guilty." Amazing. According to Moore, the U.S. military is unjustifiably pursuing the most wanted terrorist in the world – a man who admitted to orchestrating the most vicious attack ever on American soil and who gleefully rejoiced at the deaths of more than 3,000 innocents!

The transcript of the CNN interview indicates how the exchange went:

[DARYN] KAGAN: Summer may be the blockbuster season of the movie. But in this election year, a documentary film has people talking. Fahrenheit 9/11 opens today in more than 800 theaters nationwide. And its director Michael Moore joins me from New York this morning.

Michael, good morning. Thanks for being here with us.

MOORE: Thank you, Daryn. Thanks for having me on.

KAGAN: I think I have to tell you off the top, I have not seen the movie. I have a conspiracy for you to check into. The one screening that was offered here in Atlanta, offered while I'm on the air.

MOORE: Oh, I am so sorry they did that. And we'll find out who is responsible.

KAGAN: You get the cameras rolling on that one.

(LAUGHTER)

KAGAN: Let's get to the discussion of the movie. It seems to me you're clearly critical of how the U.S., especially the Bush administration, has responded to 9/11. But do you think you're as clear about how the U.S. should have responded? What they should have done?

MOORE: That's a very good question. I think -- and I think most Americans agree with this, that we should have seriously gone after anyone who was responsible for the murder of 3,000 people. I think we all support that. But as Richard Clarke so eloquently has pointed out, on September 12, the Bush administration wasn't interested in going after the people who did this. They wanted to bomb Iraq. And he told them, well, Iraq didn't do this. He said, well, we don't care. There's no good targets to bomb in Afghanistan. We want to bomb Iraq.

KAGAN: Well, let's go to some of the points you make in the movie about who we should have gone after. And some people think might be some contradictory statements. The film, you definitely talk about that you believe that the U.S. should not have focused on Iraq, should have focused on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. And yet back in 2002, you were at the Telluride Film Festival in a debate with Christopher Hitchens, where you almost defended Osama bin Laden, saying that he's innocent until proven guilty. So, did you change...

MOORE: Oh, that's not defending him. That's being an American.

KAGAN: Did you change your mind on Osama bin Laden?

MOORE: No. No. No. Wait a minute. Whoa! Whoa! That is not defending him. That is being a proud American. What is a basic, basic belief that you and I have as Americans? What is it?

KAGAN: What? You're going to say that he was innocent until proven guilty into a court of law.

MOORE: Not he. That all -- wait a minute. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

KAGAN: So, then how can you be critical of the...

MOORE: But don't you believe that?

KAGAN: I'll give you that point. But if you're doing that, how can you be critical then of the Bush administration not going after Osama bin Laden? Do -- are you -- which one is it?

MOORE: Because if you have a suspect and the suspect gets away, the police, or our military, have a right to go after and get that suspect. In fact, they should go get the suspect. And Richard Clarke's point, and my point is, is that they make a half-hearted effort. They kept our Special Forces from going in the part of Afghanistan where bin Laden was. They kept the Special Forces out of there for two months. They only sent 11,000 troops. As Richard Clarke said, there's more police here in Manhattan than the number of soldiers we sent in to get Osama bin Laden.

Where does she get the "According to Moore, military is unjustifiably pursuing the most wanted terrorist in the world"?!? The impression I get is that he was fully in support of finding bin Laden, especially since he stated it fairly explicitly.

Is this woman really the best the Republicans have got?