Michael Moore has posted an op-ed piece he wrote for the Los Angeles Times on the front page of his website, an explaination of his speech at the Oscars. Before and after this speech, I have heard of Moore being insulted by Democrats and Republicans for being stupid, a hypocrite, fudging facts, writing at a 7th grade level, and, of course, being fat. But this op-ed piece is not only very truthful and intelligent, but also eloquent.

"My book 'Stupid White Men' still sits at No. 1 on the bestseller list (it's been on that list now for 53 weeks and is the largest-selling nonfiction book of the year). 'Bowling for Columbine' has broken all box-office records for a documentary. My Web site is now getting up to 20 million hits a day (more than the White House's site). My opinions about the state of the nation are neither unknown nor on the fringe, but rather they exist with mainstream majority opinion. The majority of Americans, according to polls, want stronger environmental laws, support Roe vs. Wade and did not want to go into this war without the backing of the United Nations and all of our allies."

Agree or disagree, but you can't deny that the man has a point. When the biggest selling nonfiction book of the past 53 weeks is so critical of the sitting president, you can't say that Moore's views are not part of the views of mainstream America and that many in mainstream America stand against Bush and against his bullshit war. To say otherwise is fiction. More from Moore's op-ed piece:

"On the way back home to Flint, Mich., the day after the Oscars, two flight attendants told me how they had gotten stuck overnight in Flint with no flight -- and wound up earning only $30 for the day because they are paid by the hour.

They said they were telling me this in the hope that I would tell others. Because they, and the millions like them, have no voice. They don't get to be commentators on cable news like the bevy of retired generals we've been watching all week. (Can we please demand that the U.S. military remove its troops from ABC/CBS/NBC/ CNN/MSNBC/Fox?) They don't get to make movies or talk to a billion people on Oscar night. They are the American majority who are being asked to send their sons and daughters over to Iraq to possibly die so Bush's buddies can have the oil."

This is a must read.