Bushs criticsnotably michael moore in his film fahrenheit 911, in which moore erroneously named the book my pet goathave argued that the fact that bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive. My pet goat fitting, since bush, in this film, is michael moores pet goat, in the sense of the word meaning a target of ridicule. The story tells of a girls pet goat whose future is uncertain because it eats everything, but after it foils a robbery by butting the intruder, the girls parents allow the goat to stay. Fahrenheit 911 is a 2004 american documentary film directed, written by, and starring filmmaker, director and political commentator michael moore. When told that a second plane has hit the world trade center and that the nation is under attack bush seems wary but calmly continues reading the pet goat to the kids, and moore notes that he continued reading for nearly seven minutes before leaving the school. The pet goat is a gradeschool level reading exercise. Bush, the war in iraq, and its coverage in the media. During his most recent book tour, germans gave him rock start treatment as he gave. Bush sits in a florida classroom and reads along with secondgraders. On september 11th, 2001, after andy card told george w. Fahrenheit 911, though the film incorrectly gave the title as. Indeed, in one of the films alreadyfamous scenes, president bush is shown reading a book my pet goat to some schoolchildren in.
The presidents videotaped performance is enshrined in michael moores documentary fahrenheit 9 11. Contrary to popular belief and due in large part to the distortion of the facts by michael moore in his documentary fahrenheit 9 11 and the rest of the liberal media, president bush was not reading a book called my pet goat to a group of schoolchildren when america came under attack on september 11. Bushs failure to take immediate action, his implicit blame for not readying america for terrorist threats and his inept handling of the terrorist crisis, and his agenda to go to war in afghanistan and iraq. Fahrenheit 9 11 2004 in michael moores scathing documentary to indict president george w. Bushs 911 school visit pushed pet goat into spotlight. In an early scene in fahrenheit 911, president bush sits before an elementary. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of george w. Two sides to michael moores fahrenheit 9 11 to every story there are two sides, to every case in court there are two opinions. Michael moores book, fahrenheit 9 11, is no different. Moores 2004 documentary fahrenheit 911, though the film. A clock appears in the corner of the screen, as the minutes tick by and the president keeps reading my pet goat, not knowing what to do without. Yes, bush really did waste 7 minutes while the country was under attack, wearing a stupid, deercaughtintheheadlights expression, while a grade school class read my pet goat and people died horribly in nyc. The movie fahrenheit9 11 opens by revisiting the contested 2000 election that put george w. It can be reveled as sole source of truth about the war and our government, or it can be portrayed as the lying antichrist that rips apart peoples solidarity.
The blame for it goes to the presidential imposter who sat idly by reading a childrens book called my pet goat while the clock ticked. Being a staunch democrat himself, michael moores films are obviously very biased, resulting in fahrenheit 9 11 being ridiculously fabricated and blown out of proportion in many of. George bush is seen holding the book upside down as hes supposedly reading along with the kinder garden class thekimrob. Michael moores fahrenheit 911 deceptions 8 c5s simian. The book contains a script of the documentary, political cartoons, essays and critiques of fahrenheit 9 11, and letters written to michael moore, thanking him. For those of you unfamiliar with the my pet goat reference, here are a few quotes reelviews. The official fahrenheit 911 reader by michael moore. Yes, members of the bin laden family were flown home 2 days after 9 11, with nothing more than a cursory passport check. It is not quite clear, going into it, why michael moore should have chosen to take off ray bradburys title fahrenheit 451 of a story about book burning in order to make what seems an even feebler joke than usual in the title of his antibush screed, fahrenheit 911. But most importantly, and mainly what i was looking for to supplement my viewing of the documentary, is the cold hard, back up and evidence of the information michael moore presented. The official fahrenheit 911 reader is a the cannes film festival jury voted unanimously to award the 2004 best picture award to michael moore and fahrenheit 9 11. Since michael moore cant resist showing this sequence in nearly real time, he fills up the surreal normality of the moment with his own guess at the presidents train of thought as he continued to sit through the reading of my pet goat.
Since then it has gone on to smash all box office records for a documentary and created an international discussion about the bush administration and the war in iraq. Why did i keep reading my pet goat to give people bush reads my pet goat bush reading my pet goat jon jost s weblog president george w bush reading readers are leaders bush explains reaction to 9 11 news during historic jonathan chait rove my pet goat. In a key scene from fahrenheit 911, president bush continues reading my pet goat with elementary school students on the morning of sept. Suddenly, my pet goat is one of the most famous stories in america. Two sides to michael moores fahrenheit 911 75 words. Michael moore is ready for his closeup the new york times. As shown in michael moores fahrenheit 9 11, its the book read by president bush to florida school children on the morning of sept. For bushs failures in leadership, moore submits footage of the president on the morning of sept. Bushs goat tale is tough to find wsj the wall street journal. Moore is to be commended for offering another perspective on recent events and, on the whole, his oped comedy is.
A videotape of the president holding the book open while staring blankly into space. Michael moores fahrenheit 911 opens in berlin on wednesday. Suddenly, one of the bestknown childrens books in the u. Public attention to the pet goat first came to the fore with michael moores 2004 documentary fahrenheit 9 11, though the film called it my pet goat and called it a book. Bushs 911 school visit pushed pet goat into spotlight the. Fahrenheit 911 disparaged bush for lingering almost 10 minutes with.
In one of the more talkedabout sequences in michael moores barnstorming fahrenheit 9 11, president george w. George bush reads my pet goat to school kids on sept. In the film, moore contends that american corporate media were cheerleaders for the 2003 invasion of iraq, and did not provide an. Bush reads my pet goat in fahrenheit 911 by michael moore on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the. Bush during the 911 attacks the pet goat is the book the class is reading. If i was quite familiar with the photos taken in a empty classroom after bush finally. A videotape of the president holding the book open while staring.
The first is the videotaped footage of bush in floridas booker elementary school, reading my pet goat for seven minutes after the second plane crashed into the world trade center. Its a sequence in moores film that you will never forget. According to bill sammons book fighting back, bushs gaze. The story is contained in a book called reading mastery. Three segments redeem fahrenheit 9 11, allowing it to claim to be more than just a list of antibush charges. Bush was reading in a florida classroom on the morning of september 11, 2001, at the moment he learned of the. Bush is then shown sitting in a florida classroom with kids. The title, misquoted as my pet goat, became a punch line for comedians and especially for filmmaker michael moore, who in fahrenheit 9 11 mocked the president for staying with the. According to bill sammons book fighting back, bushs. Bushs critics, notably michael moore in his film fahrenheit 9 11 in which moore erroneously named the book my pet goat have argued that the fact that bush continued reading the book after being notified that the attack was ongoing shows that he was indecisive. Fahrenheit 911 shows how the bush administration and its policies have served the interests of the haves and the havemores with unjust domestic policies and a terrible and tragic war.