Moore called 'ugly American'
2004-07-21 14:15
Canberra, Australia - Australia's treasurer called US filmmaker Michael Moore an "ugly American" on Wednesday because of Moore's remark that he hopes Australians throw out their prime minister for sending troops to Iraq.
"Mike Moore is entitled to his opinion but that's the quintessential ugly American, sitting down attacking the Australian prime minister," Treasurer Peter Costello told Australian television's Nine Network. "I don't think anybody in Australia would take that seriously."
In a television interview broadcast here on Sunday, Moore criticised Prime Minister John Howard's decision to send troops to Iraq.
"Personally, though I have no say in any of this because I'm not an Australian, I hope the Australian people throw Mr Howard and his people out of office for participating in this," Moore said. Elections are due in Australia before the end of the year.
Moore's controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, premiered in Australia last week. The film is an indictment of the Bush administration and the US war on terror.
Moore told the Nine Network's "60 Minutes" current affairs programme on Sunday the point of his film was to show how Iraqi people were suffering as a result of the decision to go to war.
- AP