Michael Moore Strikes Back At CNN & Wolf Blitzer, Who Avoids Answering Mike's Charges - An Old Sophist Trick: 1st Appearance In 3 Years - RI10

Michael Moore

Strikes Back

At CNN &

Wolf Blitzer, Who

Avoids Answering

Mike’s Charges -

An Old Sophist

Trick:

1st Appearance

In 3 Years - RI10

Tabacco: First Off, I’d like to give the Devil his due! I want to give CNN credit for keeping the text of Michael Moore’s interview up on their website. I carelessly allowed my TiVo of that remarkable interview lapse and am therefore incapable of transcribing it. (Good thing CNN didn’t know that – Smile).

As you read this contretemps between Michael Moore and Wolf Blitzer, please note that Blitzer never answers Moore’s charges – all of which are RIGHT ON TARGET! Instead he parries and evades by giving a reference for Sanjay Gupta, which was neither requested, required nor relevant. If you watch Wolf Blitzer, beware! He can dish it, but he can’t take it. He is just as big a hypocrite as those he attacks when he and CNN are themselves attacked. Wolf should have answered the abuses that Moore mentions; the best he could do was say that if he found that CNN had been unfair to Moore, he, Blitzer, would correct that unfairness. DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH.

One caveat to my giving CNN credit: although it is on their website, you have to search for it because the Moore interview is NOT listed on their “title” or lead in. There are 3 parts to the July 9, 2007, show transcript. Fortunately, I didn’t have to search all 3 because, having seen the show personally, I knew it came near the end and went to part 3 first.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0707/09/sitroom.02.html

I know it says “sitroom.02” but it’s the 3rd item listed on Situation Room’s Transcripts for July 9. This is their way of obfuscating the text for potential readers. Nobody, not even Tabacco, relishes the idea of being shown up PUBLICLY. So, despite the subterfuge, I commend CNN for almost “taking it like a man”!
 

 THE SITUATION ROOM

Aired July 9, 2007 - 1900   ET


The Administration is Lowering the Bar on Expectations in the Iraq War. Latest Developments on the Controversy Over the Director of the National Hurricane Center
(Tabacco: Note there is no mention of Michael Moore here!)


BLITZER: Brian, thank you. Brian Todd reporting.

The U.S. military launched an invasion of Panama to oust Manuel Noriega, 25,000 troops were involved and it cost the lives of two-dozen American troops. Hundreds of Panamanians in the process. Noriega didn't go easily. He fled to the Vatican mission in Panama City and U.S. psychological warfare units played loud, very loud rock music in an attempt to force a surrender. After 10 days, Noriega gave up.

Still ahead, Michael Moore's critical look at the healthcare system now in theaters. But does he play fast and loose with the facts? You'll get the diagnosis just ahead from our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. And then I'll speak live with Michael Moore. That's coming up.

This hour also, an unusual funeral for a hateful word. Will it have any real impact, though, when it comes to one of the most derisive slurs? Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right, thank you, Jason, for that. Jason Carroll reporting.

Still ahead, he says America's healthcare system is "Sicko". Does the filmmaker, Michael Moore, think any of the presidential candidates can heal it? I'll ask him. She's standing by live.

And she has coming into stinging criticism but has Katie Couric now delivered a stinging slap of her own? Our Jeanne Moos takes a closer look. That's coming up in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Millions of Americans are filling theaters across the country to see Michael Moore's controversial look at the U.S. healthcare system. "Sicko" was number nine at the top 10 box office draws this weekend, but the movie is being criticized by some who accuse Moore of playing loose with the facts. Michael Moore standing by to join us here in THE SITUATION ROOM in just a moment. But first a reality check from our CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not on, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Sicko" throws some hard punches at the United States healthcare system, and it seems just about everyone has something to say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Plays fast and loose with the facts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Moore was spot on.

MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: The facts, I think, support what I believe.

GUPTA: And Moore presents a lot of facts throughout the movie. But do they all check out? Keeping them honest, we did some digging and we started with the biggie. The United States slipped to number 37 in the world's healthcare systems. It's true. Thirty-seven is the ranking, according to the World Health Organization's latest data on 191 countries. It's based on general health level, patient satisfaction, access and how it's paid for. France tops the list. Italy and Spain make it into the top 10. The United Kingdom is 18.

MOORE: Hello!

GUPTA: Moore brings a group of patients, including 9/11 workers to Cuba, and marvels at their free treatment and quality of care.

But hold on. That WHO list puts Cuba's healthcare system even lower than the United States, coming in at number 39. Moore asserts that the American healthcare system spends $7,000 per person on health, whereas Cuba spends $25 per person. Not true. But not too far off. The United States spends $6,096 a year per person versus $229 a year in Cuba.

And astronomically more money doesn't mean far better outcomes. In fact, Americans live just a little bit longer than Cubans on average. So Americans do pay more.

But the United States also ranks highest in patient satisfaction. And Americans have shorter wait times than everyone but Germans when seeking non-emergency elective procedures like hip replacement, cataract surgery or knee repair.

That's not something you'll see in "Sicko" as Americans tell their tales of lack of coverage and suffocating red tape.

It's true that the United States is the only country in the Western world without free universal access to healthcare. But you won't find medical utopia elsewhere. The film is filled with content Canadians and Brits sitting in waiting rooms, confident care will come.

But in Canada, you can be waiting for a long time. A survey of six industrialized nations found that only Canada was worse than the United States when it came to waiting for a doctor's appointment for a medical problem.

PAUL KECKLEY, DELOITTE HEALTH CARE ANALYST: That's the reality of those systems. There are quotas. There are planned wait times. The concept that care is free in France and Canada and Cuba, and it's not. Those citizens pay for health services out of taxes. And as a proportion of their household income, it's a significant number.

GUPTA: It's true that the French pay higher taxes, and so does nearly every country ahead the United States on that list. But even higher taxes don't give all the coverage everyone wants.

KECKLEY: Fifteen to 20 percent of the population will purchase services outside the system of care run by the government.

GUPTA: So there's no perfect system anywhere. But no matter how much Moore fudged the facts -- and he did fudge some facts -- there's one everyone agrees on. The system here should be far better. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Michael Moore is joining us now live from Detroit. Michael, thanks very much for coming in. You want to respond to anything ...

MOORE: First of all, Wolf, yeah, well -- yeah, I'd like about 10 minutes to respond to what was said.

BLITZER: Give us a couple of headlines, what you'd like to say. MOORE: I don't talk in sound bites. So -- that report was so biased. I can't imagine what pharmaceutical company ad's coming up right after our break here.

But why don't you tell the truth to the American people? I mean, I wish that CNN and the other mainstream media would just for once tell the truth about what's going on in this country, whether it's with healthcare -- I don't care what it is. I mean, you guys have such a poor track record.

And for me to come on here and have to listen to that kind of crap. I mean, seriously, I haven't been on your show now for three years. The last time I was on, you ran a similar piece about "Fahrenheit 9/11" saying this can't be true what he's saying about the war, how it's going to be a quagmire, the weapons of mass destruction.

You know, and -- why don't you start off actually with my first appearance back here on your show in three years and maybe apologize to me for saying that three years ago, because it turned out everything I said in "Fahrenheit" was true. Everything has come to happen.

Everything I said. I mean, I was -- I took you in that film to Walter Reed Hospital and it took three years before you or any of the rest of the mainstream media would go to Walter Reed Hospital and see what was happening to our troops. So for me to have to sit here and listen again to more crap about socialized medicine or how the Canadians have it worse than us and all this, all the statistics show that we have far worse healthcare than these other industrialized countries.

We're the only ones that don't have it free and universal. And, you know, there's a -- there's a -- you said that Germany was the only one that was better than us in terms of wait times. The Commonwealth Fund last year showed of the top six countries, we were second to last, next to Canada. It showed that Britain, for instance, 71 percent of the British public, when they call to see a doctor, get to see the doctor that day or the next day. It's 69 percent in Germany. It's 66% in Australia. And you're the ones who are fudging the facts. You fudged the facts to the American people now for I don't know how long about this issue, about the war.

And I'm just curious when are you going to just stand there and apologize to the American people for not bringing the truth to them that isn't sponsored by some major corporation? I mean, I'll sit here for as long as it takes, if you can do that for me.

BLITZER: Just in fairness, we had a lot of commercials for "Sicko" that we've been running on CNN as well. So we have commercials. This is a business, obviously. But let's talk a little bit about ...

MOORE: You have a nightly medical report. You have something called "The Daily Dose." I watch CNN. You have it every day. "The Daily Dose" sponsored by -- fill in the blank. And you are funded by these people day in and day out. Don't even compare that to my movie being out for a couple of weeks and a couple of rinky-dink ads for 15 seconds. Come on. Come on, Wolf!

BLITZER: No, no -- I don't know if you're familiar with Dr. Sanjay Gupta's record, but I would stack up his record on medical issues with virtually anyone in the business.

MOORE: All right. So when I -- when I now put on my Web site, as I will do tonight, how his facts were wrong about the $7,000 that we spend, it's actually -- I've read one report now, it's even more than $7,000 that we spend per person each year in this country. I'm going to put the real facts up there on my Web site so people can see what he said was wrong.

BLITZER: Well, if we get that confirmed, obviously, we'll correct the record. Sanjay - but I'm just saying ...

MOORE: Oh, you will? You'll be getting it.

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta is not only a doctor and neurosurgeon, but he's also an excellent, excellent journalist. Look, I saw the film, and it's a powerful, powerful ...

MOORE: I saw Dr. Sanjay Gupta over there embedded with the troops at the beginning of the war. He and the others of you in the mainstream media refused to ask our leaders the hard questions and demand the honest answers. And that's why we're in this war -- we're in the fifth year of this war because you and CNN, Dr. Gupta, you didn't do your jobs back then and now here we are in this mess.

What if you'd actually done the job on that? That's why anybody who hears anything he anything of what you say now about universal healthcare should question what you're saying, what you're putting out there. You didn't do the job for us with the war. You're not doing it with this issue. And I just -- I just wonder when the American people are going to turn off their TV sets and quit listening to this stuff.

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta did an excellent job covering that war. He was with the Navy's medical doctors and he went in and risked his life and actually performed neurosurgery on the scene.

MOORE: You have the questions. Why are we here? That's the question. Why are we here in this war? Where's the weapons of mass destruction? Why didn't you -- why did it take you so long, Wolf, to finally take on Vice President Cheney? It took you to 2007 before you made the man mad at you.

BLITZER: Those are fair questions.

MOORE: Four years!

BLITZER: Let's talk a little ...

MOORE: Where were you?

BLITZER: Let's talk about "Sicko". That's the film that you're here to talk about. MOORE: Yeah, let's forget that. Yeah, OK.

BLITZER: There's plenty to talk about the war. There's plenty to talk about with "Sicko".

MOORE: I just haven't seen you in three years, so I was wondering how you felt for three years of not seeing me after you trashed "Fahrenheit" and said that I was wrong about, oh, yeah, this war was -- come on, I'm just waiting for an apology.

BLITZER: Michael, we've invited you on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, you've declined our invitations the past three years but there are plenty of times we asked you to come on the show and plenty of times you've declined.

MOORE: Really? And you wanted to apologize? Why did you want to talk to me?

BLITZER: No, we wanted to interview you. That's what we do on television. Let's ...

MOORE: You don't have to apologize to me. Maybe just apologize to the American people and the families of the troops for not doing your job four years ago. We wouldn't be in this war. If you had done your job. Come on. Just admit it. Just apologize to the American people.

BLITZER: Which of the presidential candidates who are out there right now do you think would do the best job fixing the nation's healthcare system?

MOORE: Well, the Democrats have to be asked some very specific questions. Too many of them are saying, well, they're for health care for all people. Very few of them are being as specific as Mr. Kucinich is in saying, well, I support the Conyers bill in Congress HR-676. That's what we need to hear.

And I would like to hear what these other Democratic candidates are going to say and do in specifics in removing the private insurance companies from the equation. We shouldn't have profit involved when we talk about taking care of people's health.

BLITZER: Is there a candidate, though, you think -- is Dennis Kucinich your candidate? Who do you think -- I know in the film you go after Hillary Clinton. And you're very, very bipartisan in your criticism in the film, Democrats and Republicans.

MOORE: Yeah. When you say I go after, let's be clear. I actually think she did a very brave thing to try and address this issue 14 years ago. And they stopped her cold. They went after her with the same kind of, you know, trash pieces I just had to watch.

And so that stopped her. And now we've had to suffer through 14 more years of having no universal healthcare in this country. Our own government admits that because the 47 million who aren't insured, we now have about 18,000 people a year that die in this country simply because they don't have health insurance. That's six 9/11's every single year.

If you times that by 14 since Mrs. Clinton was unceremoniously removed from the agenda here, she hasn't been able to talk about this. She hasn't really put forth her specific plan. I'm hoping that the people have gone to my movie, the people that are concerned about this issue, will write to Mrs. Clinton and say, please, universal healthcare that's free for everyone who lives in this country. It will cost us less than what we're spending now ling the pockets of these private health insurance companies, of these pharmaceutical companies. So there's still some chance to have an effect on people like her.

And of course, there's one candidate who isn't even in the race yet. I don't know if he will be. But he was right about the war before it began, unlike CNN -- did I mention that?

BLITZER: You did.

MOORE: And -- and he's right about global warming and he's right on this issue, too.

BLITZER: Al Gore. The Democrats, by and large, most of them support some major health reform, including universal healthcare, which is what you support. I want you to listen to what Rudy Giuliani, the Republican front-runner said at the Republican debate that I hosted up in Manchester, New Hampshire. Listen to this.

MOORE: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Free market principles are the only things that reduce cost and improve quality. Socialized medicine will ruin medicine in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. What do you say to Mayor Giuliani?

MOORE: So he's saying that he hates Medicare?

BLITZER: He's saying socialized medicine will ruin medicine in the United States.

MOORE: That's what we have. Ask a doctor if they'd rather have a Medicare patient or somebody who has got a lousy HMO, because they know at least Medicare -- the government will pay them, send them a check and not have to fight an hour on the phone just to get a $15 office visit paid for.

I mean, seriously, we have one of the largest socialized medicine systems in this country. It's called Medicare and Medicaid. And while it's underfunded and too much of the control of it has been handed over to private companies, we've already proven we can do things like that, and Social Security and other things very well. So I hope that he wasn't attacking help for senior citizens, because that's what it sounded like to me.

BLITZER: I've got a whole bunch of questions. Unfortunately, we're out of time. But if you stick around ...

MOORE: We're out of time! I'll see you in three years.

BLITZER: No, no, stick around. We'll tape some more. We'll run it tomorrow. We want to make sure you get your chance to ...

MOORE: Oh, no, see, that's the deal, Wolf. There's no taping with me. As you know, it's rare that they put me on live. And to your credit, thank you for doing that. You can see why. They generally don't like to have me on live because, you know, a lot of that would have been cut out.

BLITZER: Well, no ...

MOORE: Thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it.

BLITZER: We're not going to cut a second of it out if you want to tape something.

MOORE: Run it unedited?

BLITZER: Run it unedited.

MOORE: And people can ...

BLITZER: And people going to your Web site, it's a free country, they can find out the truth, about what it is.

MOORE: The facts about Sanjay Gupta, they can find out about his facts, right? We can find that out, right?

BLITZER: Absolutely. Michael Moore.

MOORE: OK.

BLITZER: Thanks very much. Stand by. Michael Moore has got a new film called "Sicko".

Let's check in with Lou Dobbs to see what's coming up at the top of the hour. Lou what are you working on?

LOU DOBBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, are you having fun with Michael Moore?

BLITZER: I am.

DOBBS: He's more of a left wing promoter than Hugo Chavez, for crying out loud. He has to love profit. What's he talking about? We'll find out later. How about at 7:00?

At 6:00 p.m. Eastern we'll be reporting on the dangerous heat wave scorching much of the country from coast to coast. Triple digit temperatures, record drought leading to some of the biggest wildfires ever. We'll have the latest video for you.

Senator Hillary Clinton facing charges she's selling out our middle class to boost her presidential ambitions. Is she putting the interest of India and this country's powerful Indian lobbyists ahead of working Americans? That report and communist China preparing to launch an all-out assault against what's left of this country's automobile industry and our middle class helped by one of the country's biggest car makers.

We'll have that special report and three of the country's best political analysts and strategists join me to discuss what is an escalating political showdown over Iraq and executive privilege. Please join us at the top of the hour for all of that and much more. Wolf, back to you and Michael.

BLITZER: Thank you, Lou. We'll be getting back to you in a moment.

Let's check in with Jack Cafferty to see what's coming up at the top of the hour. Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Right at the top of the hour will be Lou Dobbs. After watching that Michael Moore interview, I've decided whatever CNN is paying you, it ain't enough. The question this hour is what does it mean if a quarter of the top positions of the Department of Homeland Security are not filled?

Terry in North Carolina -- Michael Moore used up a lot of my time, by the way. Terry in North Carolina, "Jack, like rats jumping a sinking ship, one fourth of the department has left for greener pastures. This department has failed at everything they're accountable for and nobody wants anything to do with it.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0707/09/sitroom.02.html

Tabacco: Other than my caustic comment about not mentioning Michael Moore’s name in the lead-in, I declined to comment on that interview by Blitzer until the end. So here goes!

SANJAY GUPTA: But in Canada, you can be waiting for a long time. A survey of six industrialized nations found that only Canada was worse than the United States when it came to waiting for a doctor's appointment for a medical problem.

Tabacco: What has “WAITING TIME” got to do with Single Payer Healthcare and the fact that millions of Americans, including yours truly, have no healthcare at all? Tabacco cannot afford healthcare; I am self-employed. When you work for someone else, they pay half your FICA. I pay all my FICA. And many employers pay some or all of their employees’ healthcare premiums. Being self-employed, I have to pay everything; and I don’t belong to a group.

PAUL KECKLEY, DELOITTE HEALTH CARE ANALYST: That's the reality of those systems. There are quotas. There are planned wait times. The concept that care is free in France and Canada and Cuba, and it's not. Those citizens pay for health services out of taxes. And as a proportion of their household income, it's a significant number.

Tabacco: “Deloitte Health Care Analyst”? That means Deloitte, in the current “For Profit Healthcare System”, is paying his salary. Consider that when you consider his remarks! Keckley gives no facts or figures that could be refuted anyway. It’s like when pro-FairTaxers try to convince you that everybody profits taxwise under FairTax, but not under the current Graduated Income Tax. They are lying and they know it, but they rely on general public ignorance to focus your attention on paying taxes only when you buy, not when you earn. What they don’t tell you is that you will pay tax on every dollar earned while the rich will pay only on a small part of their earnings. That’s how Sophists can lie and still tell you mostly the truth!

MOORE: And I'm just curious when are you going to just stand there and apologize to the American people for not bringing the truth to them that isn't sponsored by some major corporation? I mean, I'll sit here for as long as it takes, if you can do that for me.

BLITZER: Just in fairness, we had a lot of commercials for "Sicko" that we've been running on CNN as well. So we have commercials. This is a business, obviously. But let's talk a little bit about ...

Tabacco: Note how Blitzer parries Moore’s truthful assessment by diversion instead of answering the charge. In all candor, I must admit that Blitzer has no retort other than misdirection. What can he say? “We don’t accept advertising!” Who could possibly fall for that!

MOORE: You have a nightly medical report. You have something called "The Daily Dose". I watch CNN. You have it every day. "The Daily Dose" sponsored by -- fill in the blank. And you are funded by these people day in and day out. Don't even compare that to my movie being out for a couple of weeks and a couple of rinky-dink ads for 15 seconds. Come on. Come on, Wolf!

BLITZER: No, no -- I don't know if you're familiar with Dr. Sanjay Gupta's record, but I would stack up his record on medical issues with virtually anyone in the business.

Tabacco: See how Blitzer avoids admitting the truth again; this time he gives Sanjay Gupta an unsolicited testimonial instead of admitting or denying. A reply consistent with Moore’s charge, not a testimonial, is required here. This is how Sophists work. You’ve got to pay attention or they will always parry, avoid, and ignore your questions or charges! Bet you never thought of Wolf Blitzer as a Sophist before, did you? But he is!

MOORE: All right. So when I -- when I now put on my Web site, as I will do tonight, how his facts were wrong about the $7,000 that we spend, it's actually -- I've read one report now, it's even more than $7,000 that we spend per person each year in this country. I'm going to put the real facts up there on my Web site so people can see what he said was wrong.

BLITZER: Well, if we get that confirmed, obviously, we'll correct the record. Sanjay - but I'm just saying ...

MOORE: Oh, you will? You'll be getting it.

Tabacco: Don’t hold your breath, Michael!

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta is not only a doctor and neurosurgeon, but he's also an excellent, excellent journalist. Look, I saw the film, and it's a powerful, powerful ...

Tabacco: More testimonials! This is known as an “Appeal to Authority” – one the Sophist’s most successful tricks! Benedict Arnold was a very good General until he sold us out! FDR was a pretty good President until he ignored the 270 Japanese vessels heading across the Pacific towards Hawaii! Ronald Reagan wasn’t a bad President if you disregard him sitting on his thumbs while people died of AIDS, Iran-Contra, his helping the “Have Mores” at the expense of the “Have Nots” – OK, maybe Reagan isn’t a very good example!

Tabacco: No comment except that Michael Moore comment was so ON-TARGET, I just wanted to repeat it here!

BLITZER: Sanjay Gupta did an excellent job covering that war. He was with the Navy's medical doctors and he went in and risked his life and actually performed neurosurgery on the scene.

Tabacco: More testimonials! And more subterfuge! Note he never answers the charge,

MOORE: You have the questions. Why are we here? That's the question. Why are we here in this war? Where's the weapons of mass destruction? Why didn't you -- why did it take you so long, Wolf, to finally take on Vice President Cheney? It took you to 2007 before you made the man mad at you.

BLITZER: Those are fair questions.

Tabacco: “Fair questions”? Then why NO ANSWERS! This is the same as when Bush, Rumsfeld or other Talking Head in the Bush regime says, “I take full responsibility”. 4 words and nothing else, and they do not change their policies. They haven’t DONE ANYTHING! What they have done is disarm their interrogators. If only I were one of the interrogators! They would NEVER GET AWAY WITH THAT CRAP!

BLITZER: Let's talk about "SiCKO". That's the film that you're here to talk about. MOORE: Yeah, let's forget that. Yeah, OK.

Tabacco: Yes, Moore is being facetious here! He knows Blitzer would rather discuss “SiCKO” than discuss CNN’s pitiful performance when the Bush regime was tricking the country into this War for Profit in Iraq! Why Blitzer invited Michael Moore on his show is beyond me! I’m glad he did, but I bet you won’t see him on CNN again anytime soon!

If you missed seeing this interview, you missed a great one. Michael Moore turned the tables on this hypocrite, Wolf Blitzer! Blitzer pretends to be investigative; what he is is a Sophist. Never judge Talking Heads, Politicians or Lobbyists by their appearance, their feigned sincerity or their trappings! When lions and tigers creep up on their prey, they crouch down in the high grass until they are close enough to attack! Why would you expect human predators to be less stealthy!

tags: knowledge is power  takebackamerica  business  politics  religion  quasicon  bush  richvspoor  disaster capitalism  warpeace  michael moore  cnn  wolf blitzer  sophistry  sicko  healthcare