There is only one reason why the line at the Varsity on Friday was longer than a Baptist sermon — liberals all over Ames united to share a 112-minute Dubya-bashing session, under the direction of Michael Moore and “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

We all knew the political happenings over the past four years would beg a response from Mr. Michael Moore, and any fan of his work knew that it would bear the same selective editing, and at least one reference to his hometown of Flint, Mich.

“Fahrenheit 9/11” opens with Moore commenting on the 2000 election fiasco, and he sarcastically works his way through, masterfully drawing laughs out of a seemingly exhausted subject matter. New to the screen, however, is footage of the U.S. Senate floor after the election results came in. An election result can be called to question at the request of one senator and one representative, and after the 2000 election 10 representatives came forward, but without the aid of a single senator.

Moore dramatizes a seemingly paralyzed Congress again later in the film when he broaches the war in Iraq, making “Fahrenheit” more than just the exhibition of a bad president.

Not to say that there isn’t a healthy amount of dislike from Moore on Bush. Moore brings everything to the table, using his discerning eye to depict Bush as an inarticulate, insensitive and dangerously stupid president. “Fahrenheit” shows footage of Bush golfing, chumming it up with Saudi Arabia, practicing making faces in the camera before going live to announce the tragedy of Sept. 11 — enough to make Moore’s independent fans liberal and his liberal fans wrathful.

Between the sarcasm and rage, Moore cuts to scenes of wartorn cities, toeing the line on showing us what could be thought of as a grotesque cause. Moore brings a sobering light to a war that, for many of us, seems another life away. Moore speaks with Lila Lipscomb of Flint, Mich., who comes from a military-oriented family. At the beginning of the film, Lipscomb is praising the service, saying that it is the best chance for young Flint hopefuls to achieve their dreams. But, after her son dies in Iraq, Lila changes her view radically. Of course, horrible grief can make people change their minds in a lot of ways, but Moore draws on her pain to further his point.

Since Moore is dealing with a broader, more serious subject here, “Fahrenheit” is less comedic than his earlier work in 1989’s “Roger and Me,” and more concerned with accuracy than 2002’s “Bowling for Columbine.” But, this film is still in Moore fashion, with Moore out getting in people’s faces, and being quite effective in delivery.

A clear example of this is when Moore takes on Capitol Hill with a Marine who decided not to re-enlist and tries to get more congressmen to enlist their children in the armed services.

Apparently, only one congressman has a child fighting in Iraq, and that statistic is just the thing to make Moore start a crusade for his camera. Needless to say, they were unsuccessful.

“Fahrenheit 9/11” was an emotional roller coaster. Moore’s ability to pick and choose his clips and statistics and present them in every light, including humorous, makes for a forceful voice of political opinion in our country. Moore takes a stab at subjects we are all on edge about in some way or another and successfully makes a collage for any liberal film library.