As an American, watching this film was a vindication. A theraputic release. Though it is sometimes difficult to watch, it is necessary for the country to confront the issues the film presents if we are to heal. We must face the hard truth.

Ever since September 11, 2001, the people of this country have been psychologically abused, manipulated, deceived, and scorned by the very leadership that many trusted to protect us from harm. I can understand why so many attempts have been made to squelch its release. It says, in a way that is undeniable, that the emperor has no clothes. We as a nation were duped.

The style in which the material is presented is anything but documentary. Satire and humor abound. I laughed at much of it along with the audience in the nearly full theatre of Saturday morning matinee-goers, as lines from old tv detective shows were juxtapositioned with the way members of the bin Laden family were "investigated" in the days following September 11. Beneath the laughter, of course, there is outrage.

Most people do not like to confront the idea that a person put in charge of their country would be more loyal to foreign financial interests than to finding those responsible for a mass murder. So in a way, I suppose the over the top humor makes the bitter pill a little easier to swallow for some, while succinctly illustrating the idea. I liked it, up to a point.

If the movie has one flaw, it is that sometimes Michael Moore's sarcastic tone becomes irritating, at least to me. Maybe others find it entertaining. I did for a while too, but eventually, it became grating.

Moore is most effective when he goes into guerilla mode to expose the hypocracy of Washington. His ambush interviews with congressmen, in which he tried to convince them to show their support for their country by signing their own children up to go "help out" in Iraq were priceless. The scene with the Secret Service at the Saudi Embassy (this one obviously unplanned) was also amusing.

There are heartbreaking moments as well. The tragedies of the Iraq war on both sides are shown. Again, it is harrowing. It is one thing to read about it in Iraqi blogs. It is another to see, captured on videotape, the sight of US soldiers bursting into people's homes in the middle of the night and dragging away relatives while the women scream and cry (subtitled), "What did he do? What did he do?" Then cut to Bush, as he proudly talks about spreading "freedom and democracy" in the middle east. Never have words been rendered so empty.

Factually, the film doesn't present much in the way of new information to anyone who has kept up on the alternative press for the past few years. However, it does bring to light a lot of information that has been widely neglected by mainstream reporters. For example, I was aware that many black people in Florida (26,000) were denied their right to vote in 2000. I was not aware until this film that congress refused to even listen to their objections because of a technicality, and out of 100 Senators, not a single one came to their aid. The footage was there, but it was not on the newscasts.

As the end credits rolled, a round of spontanious applause erupted in the theatre. By exposing the lies, incompetence, and deliberate abuse at the highest levels of power, the American people are vindicated. Those who have been ignored by the so-called "journalists" are given a voice. By reporting on what they didn't, the movie is as much of an indictment of the corporate news media as it is of George Bush. It says to the people, "No, you are not crazy, but your government, media, and those who control your financial systems just might be." That is why this film will be a smashing success at the box office.