Fact Check Of The Day: Movies At The Whitehouse

Right wing fantasy: President Obama is acting "like the king of the world" by ordering Paramount to deliver him his own personal copy of the new Star Trek movie so that he can watch it in his own personal theater.

So, were I the king of the world, I too would give Paramount Pictures a call and demand that they set up a free, personal screening in my super cool movie house built especially for the president.

Of course, I’d have to jettison every ounce of self respect I have as well as fall to a nearly psychotic view of my own superiority to assume that the world should stop and cater to my every whim. I’d have to be completely unaware that my actions could easily be seen as one of arrogance, one that reveals a disregard for those I am supposed to be leading, one that ignores the concept of being a servant to the people.

Hmm... hyperventilate much?

Real world reality: Basically since movies were invented, the White House has had a movie theater where Presidents and their families can watch any newly-released movie they want, and have been doing so regularly without generating hysterical reactions from crazy Republican bloggers since "Birth of a Nation" was screened by Woodrow Wilson in 1915. According to the New York Times:

[President Bush] watches first-run films in the White House movie theater, a cushy 40-seat room on the ground floor near the entrance to the East Wing. ... The president saw "Paper Clips" and "Hotel Rwanda" late on recent Saturday afternoons, along with a small group of friends and senior White House staff members. ... The movies are sent overnight directly from the studios, in 35-millimeter film format, as soon as the White House requests them. The system was set up many presidencies ago by Jack Valenti, the adviser to President Lyndon B. Johnson and the recently retired president of the Motion Picture Association of America. ...

Presidents get Hollywood perks beyond first-run movies, of course. Perhaps the ultimate one is the power to summon people connected to the movies for conversations afterward. Mr. Bush did that last month with Mr. Rusesabagina, the wily and courageous hotel manager in "Hotel Rwanda" who was played in the film by Don Cheadle.

People who write stuff like the "king of the world" quote above won't give you facts like this though. Including the facts would make the fake outrage seem a bit petty, wouldn't it? And it would make you smart about stuff, which doesn't help their cause much either, does it?

Remember the rule kids: There really are people out there who are paid to make you stupid.

(I do give credit though for a really snap job at photoshopping Obama into Spock.)