Filmmaker Michael Moore on Saturday predicted a landslide victory for the Democrats in the 2008 presidential election, but is taking no chances, rallying US liberals in his latest documentary.
"The potential for a (Democratic) landslide is enormous. People do not want to vote for the Republicans," he told reporters at the Toronto film festival premiere of his "Captain Mike Across America."
But "the Democrats are professionals at screwing things up, so nothing is in the bag," he said.
"This film is for my few million fans and for the people who share my (liberal) politics to get fired up and get ready for the next election."
"I hope this film gives the choir a song to sing ... because we can't take four more years of the Republicans."
Moore commented that Hilary Clinton's vote in favor of the Iraq war hampers her chances of beating Barack Obama in the upcoming Democratic primaries.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has a good chance of winning the Republican ticket on his "trumped up, phony-baloney record on 9/11," and Michael Bloomberg, still sitting on the sidelines, could be a spoiler, he said.
The follow-up to his hits "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Bowling for Columbine" and "Sicko," shows the Michigan native trying unsuccessfully to drum up support for beleaguered Democratic candidate John Kerry in the run-up to the 2004 election.
But, he conceded to reporters in Toronto, "Maybe he wasn't the best candidate."
"The United States is a liberal country," he insisted.
"The majority of Americans are liberal. They hate that word and they'll never use it, but if you ask them, 'Do you think women should be paid the same as men; do you think that we need assault weapons laws; do you think the minimum wage should be raised' ... the majority of Americans take a liberal position on every issue, except capital punishment."
But voters were simply not presented with a strong-enough Democratic candidate in Kerry, he said. "They don't want to go into a polling booth and vote for a weenie for president."
The documentary follows Moore going from stadium to stadium, filled with adoring fans, in 62 cities in the dying days the 2004 presidential campaign, bashing US President George W. Bush -- who would go on to win the contest -- and his "lies" to justify an "unjust war" in Iraq.
Moore offers a rousing defense of press freedoms, while thrashing US media for not asking "the tough questions" going into the Iraq war.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Steve Earl, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Joan Baez break up the film with musical interludes.
Pop singer Cat Stevens, "who couldn't be here tonight" because he found himself on a US no-fly list after changing his name to Yusuf Islam, got a nod.
So too did the Dixie Chicks, who were widely criticized and saw concert ticket sales plummet after lead singer Natalie Maines insulted Bush and angered conservative American country music fans.
And Moore tussles with a handful of Republicans who aim to disrupt his rallies, including a Christian student group that erupts into loud prayer during a Moore speech. Behind the scenes, tight security kept dangerous threats at bay, Moore said.
But in taking a parting shot at his nemesis Bush, the film ignores a vital point: the Bush presidency is almost over and most pundits and polls agree a Democratic victory is likely in the 2008 presidential election.
So, why would Moore, whose first documentary "Roger and Me" won an audience award for best film at the Toronto film festival 18 years ago, launching his career as a crusader for the disenfranchised, launch an anti-Bush film now?
"Yes, I've run out of ideas," Moore deadpanned.
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