Bowling for St. Louis

Michael Moore swings through our state

A A A Comments (0) By Chad Garrison Wednesday, Aug 25 2004

Word has it that iconoclastic film director Michael Moore will make a pit stop in St. Louis on Thursday, October 7, the day before John Kerry and George W. Bush lock horns in a presidential debate at Washington University.

Moore will be the guest of the Wash. U. Student Union, and the speaking engagement will be open only to enrolled underclassmen at the university.

Student union president Brad Ader confirms that his programming council has been in contact with Moore's camp since before the June release of Fahrenheit 9/11 but cautions that an official contract has not yet been signed with Moore.

Nevertheless, students have gone so far as to book the Pageant, which can hold up to 2,300 attendees, as the venue for the tireless self-promoter and leading anti-Bush crusader.

Ader and other student organizers say the Moore event would be too difficult to conduct on campus, especially on the busy eve of what will be the second of three presidential debates.

Says one insider: "The only place large enough to hold this type of event on campus would be the Field House [the site of the debate], and we didn't think security sweeps would allow us to hold it there immediately prior to the debate."

The "town meeting" format for the October 7 debate will consist of a panel of undecided St. Louis voters chosen by the Gallup Organization and will be moderated by Charles Gibson, co-anchor of ABC News' Good Morning America.