BBC NEWS | Moore film divides America

BBC NEWS | Americas | Moore film divides America: "Claudia Puig of national newspaper USAToday said 'Fahrenheit 9/11 is the year's must-see film.' The documentary's scathing attack on the war in Iraq and George W Bush's presidency is informative, provocative, frightening, compelling, funny, manipulative and, most of all, entertaining," she said.

In the New York Times, A.O. Scott said, "[Mr. Moore] can be obnoxious, tendentious and maddeningly self-contradictory. He can drive even his most ardent admirers crazy. He is a credit to the republic."

"Mr Moore's populist instincts have never been sharper," he says, adding, "It is worth seeing, debating and thinking about, regardless of your political allegiances.

Some in the White House wanted to attack Mr Moore like they did former counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke when he released a book critical of the war on terror, the newspaper reported.

But Mr Bush plans to play down the film. "To take it on would give it too much credibility," a Bush strategist told the Washington Post.

"He's not going to get into a debate himself with this little filmmaker guy," the strategist added."