'Fahrenheit 9/11' ban?

It looks as though Republicans will stop at nothing to keep the American public from seeing, or even hearing about, Michael Moore's new film, "Fahrenheit 9/11".

A Republican-allied 527 soft-money group is preparing to file a complaint against Moore’s film with the FEC for violating campaign-finance law.

In a draft advisory opinion placed on the FEC’s agenda for today’s meeting, the agency’s general counsel states that political documentary filmmakers may not air television or radio ads referring to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election.

Certain Republicans are trying to construe Moore's film as nothing more than a "two-hour political advertisement" - the umbrella epithet-of-choice is "electioneering communications" - which they would like to see constrained by campaign-finance legislation.

In related news, the Carlyle Group is slated to purchase the Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation for $2 billion.

Loews is the third largest movie theater chain in the global motion picture exhibition industry, with over 200 theaters and 2,200 screens worldwide. The assets being acquired include Loews' operations in the U.S., Grupo Cinemex, and its 50% interests in Megabox Cineplex of Korea and Yelmo Cineplex of Spain.

Among the right-wing luminaries associated with this investing firm is Bush senior's Secretary of State, James A. Baker III. Baker also served as Reagan's Chief-of-Staff from 1981 to 1985 and was Undersecretary of Commerce in the Ford administration.