He may be the left’s Rush Limbaugh, but Michael Moore certainly

has something to say, or at least he has the right to, according to

the First Amendment. Luckily, two brothers agree with letting

political speech from both sides reach the masses.

Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who run Miramax Films, have reached an

agreement with parent company Disney to release Moore’s

anti-President Bush documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11.” The newly

formed Fellowship Adventure Group, co-chaired by the brothers, is

among three distributors of the film, and the Weinsteins reportedly

will reimburse Disney for the $6 million spent on the film’s

production. Lions Gate and IFC Films are the other

distributors.

In May, Disney refused to distribute the film because of its

political nature. Michael Eisner, Disney’s chief executive, told

Miramax not to work on the movie because of its political content,

according to The New York Times. The film, which won the Palme d’Or

at the Cannes Film Festival in May, takes a controversial look at

the Bush administration’s dealings with terrorism, Saudi ties and

the Iraq war. It also takes a critical stance on the 2000 election

of Bush, who did not win the popular vote. Despite the prestigious

film honor, Disney still refused to release the movie.

After Disney announced it would not distribute the film, Moore

accused the company of yielding to political pressure from Bush’s

brother Jeb, the governor of Florida, regarding certain tax

interests the company has in the state. Disney denied the

charges.

Tax interests aside, Disney has every right to bow out of a film

that will have a sizable portion of the public upset by its

accusations and assumptions. As a private company, Disney must make

decisions that are in its best interests. Debatably, marketing a

highly controversial, political documentary while at the same time

promoting “The Princess Diaries 2” might not be a solid business

choice.

Moore (who never does anything without a bit of flair) is

certainly pleased his rhetoric will reach the public, and said in a

statement, “On behalf of my stellar cast — GW, Dick, Rummy, Condi

and Wolfie — we thank this incredible coalition of the willing for

bringing ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ to the people.”

However, the people who deserve thanks are the Weinstein

brothers. Although “Fahrenheit 9/11” is unlikely to have a

significant effect on the 2004 election — mostly because the

majority of people who see the film are already predisposed to

agree with its conclusions — it is admirable that the Weinstein

brothers took the effort to make sure the film sees the light of

day, especially with mega-corporation Disney breathing down their

necks.